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*  NOV  6  1908   *, 


BX  8905  ,P6  A4  1907 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of 

America.  National 
Presbyterian  brotherhood 


Ira  Landrith,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  General  Secretary 


PRESBYTERIAN 
BROTHERHOOD 


REPORT  OF  THE  SECOND  CONVENTION 

HELD     AT     CINCINNATI 

NOVEMBER    TWELFTH 

TO    FOURTEENTH 

NINETEEN-SEVEN 


'^^ 


PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 
THE  PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD   OF  PUBLICATION 

1908 


Copyright,  1908 
By  the  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication  and  Sabbath- 
School  Work 


Published  February,  1908 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I.    Opening    Exercises.      Charles    8.    Eolt,   pre- 
siding      5 

1.  Gavel  Incident 5 

2.  Response.    Charles  S.  Holt 8 

II.     Putting  First  Things  First.     S.  D.  Gordon.    11 

1.  Address  op  Welcome.    Dr.  Charles  Frederick  Goss      lo 

2.  Response  to  Address  of  Welcome.    John  Clark 

Hill,D.D 23 

III.  The  Layman  and   Foreign  Missions.     Son. 

John  W.  Foster 28 

IV.  The  Present-Day  Demand  for  Men  in  the 

Extension    of    the    Kingdom.      Bobert    F. 

Coyle,  D.D 47 

V.     Sons  of  God  With  Power.    W.  H.  Wray  Boyle, 

D.D 66 

VI.    Principles  and  Forms  of  Brotherhood  Or- 
ganization.    Eev.  E.  B.  Bigger,  Ph.D 79 

VII.     The  Devotional  Life  of  the  Brotherhood. 

Eon.  Hugh  H.  Eanna    114 

VIII.     Power  by  Prayer.    S.  D.  Gordon 123 

Outline  of  a  Talk  by  Wm.  M.  Anderson,  D.D. ,  .    131 
IX.     The     Conference    on     Educational    Oppor- 
tunities   OF    the    Brotherhood    in    Bible 
Class   Work.     Mr.  Andrew  Stevenson,  pre- 
siding       135 

Bible  Classes.    James  K  Clark,  D.D 136 

Messrs.  Young,  Osborne,  Peterson,  Ooodman,  Suther- 
land, Hi g gins.  Barber,  Morton,  and  McClure. 

X.    Presbyterian  Faith  and  Activities.     Presi- 
dent J.  D.  Mofatt,  D.D.,  LL.D 150 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

XI.     The  Great  Fellowship  Meeting 179 

1.  The  Presiding  Officer's  Greeti>'g 179 

2.  Fellowship  Message  from  the  South.    FroJ.  J. 

R.  Hoicerton,  D.D 182 

3.  New  General  Secretary  Introduced 189 

XII.    Address  of  W.  H.  Eoberts,  D.D.,  LL.D 190 

XIII.     Kemarks.    Ira  Landrith,  D.D.,  LL.D 204 

XIV.     Purpose  and  Power.     W.  E.  Wray  Boyle,  D.D.  212 

1.  Discussion.    The  Practical  Ministries  op  the 

Brotherhood,  S.  Edward  Young, D.D.,pre*iding,    220 

2.  Outline  of  Address  by  Edgar  P.  Hill,  D.D,  .  .     230 
XV.     Address.     Wm.  McEibben,  D.D.,  LL.D 252 

Personal  Work,    Fred.  C.  Goodman 262 

XVI.     Personal    V/ork.      Howard    Agneiv    Johnson, 

D.D 263 

XVII.     Evangelistic  Work..   Bev.  E.  F.  Eallenbeclc.  272 
XVIII.     Farewell    Session.      Dr.    William    H.    Black, 

presiding     287 

XIX.     Service.     Governor  Coe  I.  Crawford 290 

XX.     The  Challenge  of  the  Big  World  to  the 

Men  of  the  Church.     Wm.  T.  Ellis 301 

XXI.     The  Book  of  Acts.     Edgar  Whital-er  Work, 

D.D 321 

XXII.     Brotherhood  Convention  Business 336 

Annual  Report  op  thk  Council 337 

XXIII,     The  Constitution    347 

XXIV.     The  Next  Convention   351 

Convention  Committees 351 

XXV.     Financial  Session  353 

XXVT.     Eeport  of  the  Committee  on  Nominations  , .  358 
Report  op  thb  Committee  on  Resolutions    ....    363 

XXVII.     Officers  of  the  Council  369 

Evangelistic  Work 371 

XXVIII.     Second  Financial  Session 372 

altaltsis  op  thk  members  of  the  convention  by 

Occupation 374 


The  Presbyterian  Brotherhood 


OPENING  EXERCISES 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  the  Vice 
President,  Mr.  Charles  S.  Holt,  of  Chicago,  and 
after  singing  '' Onward,  Christian  Soldiers,'' 
and  ^^The  Morning  Light  is  Breaking,"  with 
Mr.  W.  A.  Evans  as  leader  and  Miss  Rebecca 
Snyder  at  the  organ,  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev. 
Robert  Watson,  Ph.D.,  pastor  of  the  Church  of 
the  Covenant,  Cincinnati. 

GAVEL  INCIDENT 

At  this  point  President  Chas.  W.  Dabney,  of 
the  University  of  Cincinnati,  representing  the 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of  Cincinnati,  pre- 
sented to  the  presiding  officer  a  gavel  in  the 
name  of  Norwood  Chapter,  Number  1,  with  the 
following  remarks: 

Mr.  President  : — 

The  Norwood  Chapter  of  the  Presbyterian 
Brotherhood  Union  of  Cincinnati  has  requested 
me  to  present  you  this  symbol  of  your  office,  as 

5 


b  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

president  of  this  great  convocation  of  tlae  men 
of  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  America. 

This  convention,  Mr.  President,  is  not  an 
ecclesiastical  body,  it  represents  no  single  or- 
ganization exclusively  and  has  no  executive  or 
administrative  authority  over  anyone.  It  is 
merely  a  conference  of  Presbyterian  men  for 
the  purpose  of  considering  the  interests  of  all 
our  churches  and  the  practical  methods  of  using 
consecrated  men  to  advance  them.  Though 
organized  under  the  auspices  of  one  of  the  great 
Presbyterian  bodies,  the  representatives  of 
every  church  holding  our  Eeformed  faith  are 
welcomed  here  with  equal  privileges.  We  are 
extremely  proud  that  among  these  delegates 
are  representatives  of  many  of  the  ecclesiastical 
organizations  in  America  holding  this  faith. 
From  north,  south,  east,  and  west;  from 
Canada,  Mexico,  and  many  foreign  lands,  we 
come  to  praise  God  for  his  blessings  to  our 
churches  and  to  consecrate  ourselves  anew  to 
his  service. 

With  a  beautiful  purpose,  the  Norwood  Chap- 
ter has  sought  to  symbolize  in  this  little  instru- 
ment this  fact  of  the  union  in  this  conference 
of  many  families  of  the  Presbyterian  faith. 
The  material  for  this  gavel  has,  therefore,  been 
taken  from  different  parts  of  the  Lord's  vine- 
yard here  represented.  The  Old  Presbyterian 
Church  has  contributed  to  it  a  piece  of  wood 
from  the  house  built  by  the  sainted  Lyman 
Beecher,  on  Walnut  Hills,  in  Cincinnati. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  7 

The  Cumberland  Church,  recently  united  with 
us,  has  contributed  a  piece  of  the  historic  ''old 
log  house"  in  Dickson  County,  Tennessee, 
where,  on  February  4th,  1810,  the  organization 
of  that  church  was  begun  by  three  ministers, 
Finis  Ewing,  Finis  King,  and  Samuel  McAdoo. 
It  is  interesting  to  recall  that  this  church  con- 
tinued a  separate  organization  until  it  was  re- 
united with  the  mother  church  on  May  24th, 
1906. 

The  third  piece  of  wood  also  has  an  interest- 
ing history.  The  Eev.  Alexander  Craighead, 
who  had  removed  from  southwestern  Penn- 
sylvania to  the  valley  of  Virginia,  was  in- 
fluenced by  Braddock's  defeat  to  journey 
farther  southward,  as  leader  of  a  band  of 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians,  who  settled  in 
Mecklenburg  County,  in  North  Carolina.  He 
was  the  founder  of  Presbyterianism  in  the 
great  Piedmont  region  of  the  South.  Here, 
from  1757,  Craighead  was  pastor  of  the  Rocky 
River  and  the  Sugar  Creek  churches,  which 
have  now  grown  into  sixty  Presbyterian  organ- 
izations in  that  single  county  and  thousands  of 
others  in  that  section.  The  county  seat  of 
Mecklenburg  is  Charlotte,  which  has  well  been 
called  the  Presbyterian  Pittsburg  of  the  South. 
Craighead  instructed  and  inspired  the  patriots 
who  started  the  Revolution  in  Mecklenburg  and 
possibly  wrote  the  first  Declaration  of  American 
Independence.  When  he  was  buried  in  1766 
in  the  graveyard  at  Sugar  Creek,  one  of  the 


8  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

poles,  a  sassafras  stock,  on  which  the  coffin 
had  been  borne,  was  stuck  in,  as  was  the  custom, 
at  the  head  of  the  grave.  Like  Aaron's  rod,  it 
budded  and  grew  into  a  tree,  a  living  symbol 
of  the  church  planted  by  this  high  priest  of 
God  in  the  wilderness  of  the  South.  One  piece 
of  wood  in  this  gavel  was  taken  from  the  trunk 
of  that  ancient  tree  at  the  head  of  Craighead's 
grave,  which,  like  the  church  he  planted,  is  still 
putting  up  shoots  all  over  that  field. 

And  lastly,  these  three  pieces  of  wood,  one 
representing  the  Old  Church,  one  the  Cumber- 
land Church,  and  one  the  Southern  Church,  are 
united  to  a  handle  made  from  a  portion  of  the 
hall  in  Indianapolis  where  this  great  national 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood  was  organized. 
Please  accept  this  gavel,  then,  Mr.  President, 
as  a  sjanbol  of  this  united  Brotherhood  of 
Presbyterian  men  of  these  diverse  churches. 
And  may  we  not  pray  the  great  Head  of  the 
church  that,  as  he  has  led  the  people  of  these 
churches  to  unite  in  missionary  boards,  in  edu- 
cational institutions  and  federations  for  church 
work,  as  he  has  also  led  our  spiritual  children 
in  India  and  China  to  unite  in  single  national 
churches,  so,  in  his  own  good  time,  he  will  lead 
the  Eeformed  churches  of  our  country  to  unite 
in  one  great  American  Presbyterian  Church! 

Mr.  Holt  responded  as  follows : 

Dr.  Dabney,  and  Friends  of  the  Norwood 
Chapter:     Since  order  is  heaven's  first  law,  it 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  9 

is  altogether  fitting  that  this  symbol  of  order 
should  find  a  conspicuous  place  in  this  gathering 
of  Presbyterian  men.  I  accept  it  with  gratitude, 
not  as  an  implement  for  quelling  disturbance, 
or  for  imposing  submission  upon  unwilling  dis- 
putants, but  as  an  emblem  of  that  cosmic 
harmony — that  ceaseless  activity  regulated 
by  divine  law — which  is  of  the  essence  of 
true  Presbyterianism,  and  which  we  trace 
in  direct  lineal  descent  from  the  time  when 
the  morning  stars  in  orderly  procession  sang 
together  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for 
joy. 

Our  memories  and  imaginations  have  been 
stirred,  I  am  sure,  by  the  historical  associations 
which  you  have  so  beautifully  recalled  to  us. 
Beecher-wood,  Dickson-wood,  Craighead-wood, 
Tomlinson-wood — it  needed  only  that  it  should 
come  to  us,  as  it  does,  stamped  with  the 
spirit  of  Nor-wood. 

In  so  far  as  it  reminds  us  of  differences  and 
divisions,  God  grant  that  it  may  inspire  us  to 
be  loyal  to  truth  as  we  see  it,  as  those  men  of 
old  were  loyal  to  the  truth  they  saw.  And  as 
it  also  speaks  to  us  of  dividing  lines  faded  or 
fast  fading — as  the  mellowing  hand  of  time  shall 
soon  obliterate  the  lines  that  separate  these 
pieces  of  wood,  so  that  it  can  scarcely  be  seen 
where  one  ends  and  the  other  begins — may  it 
help  to  draw  us  into  a  spirit  of  united  service,  in 
a  common  brotherhood,  for  him  who  has  loved 
us  and  died  for  us  all. 


10  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Even  before  we  enjoy  the  address  of  greet- 
ing, we  are  to  be  favored  with  a  word  from  that 
apostle  of  the  quiet  spiritual  life,  Mr.  S.  D. 
Gordon,  of  Madison,  New  Jersey,  on  the  topic, 
** Putting  First  Things  First.'' 


n 

PUTTING  FIRST  THINGS  FIRST 

BY  S.  D.  GORDON 

There  are  no  first  things.  There  is  only 
one  first  thing,  and  that  first  thing  is  the 
last  thing,  and  there  is  no  middle — and  that 
is  Jesus  himself.  He  was  first  in  the  crea- 
tion. He  was  first  in  the  planning  of  the  lives 
of  us  men  down  here.  He  was  first  at  the  cross, 
saving  us  men  from  our  sins,  and  he  is  rightly 
first  in  every  human  life,  in  the  life  of  the 
church,  and  in  the  life  of  this  convention.  And 
only  as  we  put  Jesus  himself  into  his  own  first 
place,  will  things  swing  into  true  line.  There 
are  no  first  things  for  us  men ;  there  is  just  one 
first,  and  the  first  is  last,  and  the  first  and  last 
make  the  middle  and  the  whole,  and  that  is  Jesus 
of  Bethlehem  and  Calvary,  of  the  Resurrection, 
and  of  our  own  personal  lives,  and  here  in  our 
convention. 

Making  Jesus  first  and  putting  him  first  in- 
cludes four  very  important  things — important 
and  essential.  It  means  this,  first  of  all,  that 
Jesus  shall  have  control  of  our  lives.  I  need  not 
remind  you  men  that  to-day,  as  never  before, 
there  is  a  tendency  in  most  lives  to  put  other 

11 


12  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

things  first  and  Jesus  second.  There  is  a  tug  in 
many  a  man's  life,  on  the  right  and  left,  in  the 
front  and  in  the  rear,  to  put  business  first  and 
Jesus  second. 

But  only  as  we  put  Jesus  first  in  our  home  life, 
in  our  social  life,  in  our  commercial  relations 
and  business  walks,  are  we  really  true  to  him. 
Putting  Jesus  first  means  this — that  he  has  full 
control  in  everything.  If  there  come  a  tug  be- 
tween two  things,  himself  and  something  else, 
he  takes  precedence,  no  matter  what  falls  out 
in  that  tug. 

It  means  a  second  important  thing,  namely 
this :  That  a  man  must  have  a  daily  quiet  time 
alone  with  his  Master,  with  the  door  shut  and 
the  Book  open,  and  the  knee  bent,  and  the  will 
bent,  too.  From  the  Book  we  learn  who  the 
Master  is;  we  get  a  clear  conception  of  who 
Jesus  is.  And  a  man  is  controlled  by  his 
conception  of  Jesus.  I  sometimes  think 
there  are  as  many  Jesuses  as  there  are  men, 
because  we  have  so  many  different  conceptions 
of  him. 

And  further,  in  the  quiet  time  we  come  to 
know  himself,  and  so  give  him  his  rightful 
place.  And  then  a  more  important  thing  even 
than  the  Book,  in  that  quiet  time,  is  to  meet  the 
Master  face  to  face  and  breathe  in  his  spirit. 
And  to-day,  in  the  fierce  tug  of  life,  no  man,  I 
believe,  can  keep  close  to  Jesus,  can  keep  pure 
and  sweet,  except  as  he  meets  Jesus  face  to  face 
in  that  quiet  time  every  day.    That  is  the  second 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  13 

thing  in  putting  Jesus  first,  the  daily  quiet  time 
with  him  over  the  Word. 

And  then  the  third  thing  is  this — and  I  think 
I  will  say  it  very  softly,  because  the  greatest 
things  should  be  said  softly,  that  they  may  steal 
their  way  into  our  innermost  hearts.  It  is  this : 
It  means  that  a  man  will  give  himself  in  service 
for  his  fellows.  Not  simply  his  checks,  not 
simply  his  gold,  not  simply  his  name,  or  pres- 
tige, or  position ;  but  that  he  shall  give  himself. 
There  is  sore  temptation  to-day  to  serve  by 
proxy.  You  can  send  checks  and  so  get  men  to 
do  the  work  for  you;  but  just  so  far  as  we  do 
that  only,  we  weaken  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
church.  Jesus  first  means  this :  Every  man 
giving  himself  in  service  among  his  fellow-men. 
And  I  wish  if  this  convention  might  have  any 
one  keynote,  it  might  be  that  we  men  give  our- 
selves in  service  for  Jesus  among  our  fellows. 

There  is  no  substitute  in  deed  or  word  for  a 
man's  own  self  in  Christian  service.  We  must 
give  ourselves ;  our  hands  themselves  must  min- 
ister, and  our  eyes  must  see  the  need,  and  our 
ears  must  hear  the  cry  of  distress,  and  our  own 
hearts  must  feel  the  sharp  tug  of  the  need,  and 
sometimes  weep  and  bleed  because  of  the  need. 
We  must  give  our  own  personal  service.  The 
greatest  temptation  of  the  American  church 
to-day  is  proxy  service.  You  can  run  corpora- 
tions that  way  at  election  time,  but  you  cannot 
run  a  church  that  way.  If  you  do,  it  runs  in 
only  one  direction,  and  that  is  into  the  ground. 


14  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

Jesus  first  means  a  man^s  own  self  in  service, 
with  his  heart  beating  warm  and  true  against  the 
heart  of  the  world  in  his  efforts  to  serve  Jesus. 

And  then  fourth  comes  this :  Doing  things  by- 
prayer.  Prayer  is  doing  things.  I  can  shut  my- 
self in  my  room  at  the  hotel  here  in  Cincinnati, 
and  in  shutting  the  door  shut  out  every  outside 
thing,  and  I  can  reach  the  man  in  Tokio  and 
change  the  atmosphere  of  his  life,  or  that  of  a 
man  in  China,  or  Calcutta,  or  Madison,  where 
my  home  is.  Every  man  can.  Prayer  is  doing 
things,  and  we  have  it  in  our  power  to  change 
things  by  prayer.  Giving  Jesus  his  own  place 
— the  first  and  the  last  and  the  middle  place — 
means  this :  That  we  will  be  true  to  him  in  our 
prayer  life.  That  daily  we  will  go  off  alone  and 
change  the  things  that  need  changing,  here,  and 
here,  and  here,  around  the  world.  As  surely  as 
Jesus  died  for  the  world,  every  man  of  us  may 
carry  that  world  in  his  arms.  We  can  change 
things  by  prayer,  and  if  we  can — surely  we  will. 
And  if  these  eight  hundred  Presbyterian  men 
might  go  back  home  and  do  things  in  the  secret 
place,  around  the  world,  there  would  be  a  new 
church  in  our  own  land;  there  would  be  a  new 
life  for  the  world;  there  would  be  the  new  life 
of  Jesus  coming  into  the  world. 

And  so  we  see  these  four  things  involved  in 
putting  Jesus  in  his  own  place  of  first  in  the 
church,  in  this  convention,  and  in  our  lives.  It 
means  his  mastery  in  our  own  personal  lives; 
it  means  the   daily  quiet  time  with  him  for 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  15 

strength  and  for  the  fresh  inbreathing  of  his 
own  spirit ;  it  means  that  we  give  our  own  serv- 
ice among  men ;  and  it  means  that  we  do  things 
and  change  things  for  Jesus  Christ  in  Japan, 
and  in  China,  and  in  India,  in  South  America, 
and  in  black  Africa  and  everywhere  else — that 
we  change  things. 

Let  us  put  Jesus  first,  where  he  belongs,  and 
last  and  middle,  in  the  throbbing  heart  of  this 
convention,  and  in  all  our  lives.  Let  us  do  this 
for  Jesus'  sake,  and  for  men's  sake,  too. 

ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME 

Mr.  Holt. — After  this  powerful  and  beauti- 
ful message,  which  I  am  sure  will  ring  in  our 
ears,  not  alone  throughout  this  convention,  but 
for  a  long  time  to  come,  it  is  peculiarly  fitting 
that  we  should  hear  the  words  of  welcome  and 
response,  and  I  am  going  to  discharge  myself  of 
one  of  my  labors  by  making  two  introductions 
with  one  speech. 

The  greeting  will  be  offered  by  my  very  dear 
old  friend  (old  in  friendship,  if  not  in  years), 
Dr.  Charles  Frederick  Goss,  of  the  Avondale 
Church,  and  the  response  on  behalf  of  the  Broth- 
erhood will  be  delivered  by  Dr.  John  Clark  Hill, 
whom  not  to  know  argues  one 's  self  unknown. 

Dr.  Goss. — Mr.  Chairman,  Delegates  and  Fel- 
low-Citizens :  In  discharging  myself  of  the  high 
responsibility  with  which  I  have  been  charged. 


16  THE   PEESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

I  shall  ring  the  changes  npon  the  word 
*^  charged/' 

I  say,  then,  that  I  myself  am  charged  with 
human  hospitality;  that  this  atmosphere  is 
charged  with  religious  feeling;  that  this  conven- 
tion is  charged  with  moral  responsibility. 

In  the  first  place,  the  speaker  is  charged  with 
human  hospitality.  Almost  five  hundred  thou- 
sand people  do  their  daily  tasks  around  our 
Fountain  Square.  They  are  a  hospitable 
people.  There  is  a  fine  mingling  of  the  West, 
and  North,  and  South  which  makes  warm  hearts, 
and  I  bring  you  greetings  from  people  who  love 
to  welcome  strangers  in  their  midst.  I  assure 
you  that  to  be  charged  with  such  hospitality, 
to  be  the  transmitter  of  the  feelings  that  are 
generated  in  this  grand  total  of  ^Ye  hundred 
thousand  people,  moves  me  in  the  coldest  places 
of  my  heart.  We  are  so  made,  we  men,  that 
hospitality  has  something  of  the  divine  in  it. 
We  are  all  of  us  in  a  way  like  that  old  patriarch 
Abraham,  who  stood  in  the  door  of  his  tent 
welcoming  angels  and  men. 

It  is  a  beautiful  thing  for  a  young  man  to 
stand  upon  the  doorsill  of  his  home  and  welcome 
there  the  friends  who  have  come  to  greet  his 
bride.  It  is  more  beautiful  in  the  grandfather  to 
stand  upon  the  threshold  of  the  old  homestead 
and  welcome  back  the  children  and  grandchil- 
dren who  come  to  eat  his  turkey  on  Thanksgiv* 
ing  day.  It  is  a  beautiful  thing,  also,  to  voice 
upon  the  threshold  of  a  great  city  the  welcome 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  17 

of  five  hundred  thousand  people  to  people  who 
have  come  from  all  quarters  of  our  land  to  medi- 
tate upon  the  things  that  have  to  do  with  the 
spiritual  kingdom  of  our  God.  We  burst  with 
emotions  sometimes.  We  burst  with  merri- 
ment, we  burst  with  zeal,  we  burst  with  enthu- 
siasm. I  am  bursting  with  welcome,  and  in  one 
single  shot  I  fire  the  load,  and  welcome  you  here 
to-night. 

In  the  second  place,  the  atmosphere  of  this 
room  is  charged  with  religious  emotion.  The 
atmosphere  which  we  breathe  is  made  by  God, 
this  beautiful,  holy  atmosphere  of  daily  life 
which  encircles  the  world  in  which  we  live ;  the 
atmosphere  that  is  crimson  with  sunset  glories, 
that  is  odorous  with  spring  flowers  and  the  scent 
of  dying  leaves,  that  is  resonant  with  the  songs 
of  birds  and  the  murmur  of  brooks,  with  the 
laughter  of  little  children,  with  the  throbbing 
roar  of  business  industries,  and  ten  thousand 
other  sounds  that  make  it  palpitant  with  daily 
life.  But  God  has  also  made  us  men  creators, 
and  we  create  an  atmosphere — the  atmosphere 
of  home,  of  business,  of  politics,  and  the  atmos- 
phere of  religion.  It  is  the  atmosphere  of  a 
church,  for  example,  that  is  the  most  important 
thing  to  everyone  who  enters  it  to  worship  God. 

It  is  our  supreme  business  to-night  to  create 
an  atmosphere  in  this  room.  There  have  been 
many  atmospheres  created  in  this  hall — atmos- 
pheres of  politics,  of  art,  of  science,  and  we  have 
come  here  to-night  to  create  an  atmosphere  of 


18  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

religious  feeling.  We  have  come  here  from 
many  distant  parts  of  the  country  with  our 
hearts  charged  and  re-charged  with  that  sense 
of  relationship  with  God  and  responsibility  to 
men  which,  if  we  communicate  it  to  each  other 
in  this  room,  shall  make  it  a  place  palpitating 
with  religious  emotion.  And  so  in  this  place 
where  the  sounds  of  music  have  been  often 
heard,  where  the  greatest  orators  have  discussed 
political  themes,  and  where  art  and  science  have 
been  meditated  upon  by  ardent  souls,  we  have 
come  to  bow  before  our  God  in  prayer  and  con- 
secration, and  to  create  an  atmosphere  of  which 
it  will  do  us  good  to  draw  in  long,  deep  breaths. 

In  the  third  place,  we  are  charged  with  ethical 
responsibility.  Upon  our  shoulders  are  laid 
moral  obligations  in  regard  to  the  kingdom  of 
our  God.  It  is  a  law  of  human  life  that  privilege 
and  opportunity  engender  responsibility,  and  I 
ask  you  if  it  is  not  a  privilege  to  hear  these 
songs,  to  listen  to  these  speeches,  to  touch  elbows 
with  men  consecrated  to  God,  and  whether  that 
privilege  does  not  engender  responsibility!  We 
are  then  a  Christian  Brotherhood,  charged  by 
the  circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed, 
charged  by  the  methods  which  are  used,  and 
charged  by  the  gifts  which  God  has  given  us, 
with  a  solemn  obligation  to  make  the  most  of 
this  occasion. 

I  have  been  thinking,  as  I  sat  here  to-night, 
how  easy  it  would  be  to  imagine  that  through 
this  door  and  down  this  aisle  there  should  come 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  19 

the  figure  of  an  old,  gray-headed  man,  repeating 
as  he  came,  the  words  he  spoke  to  Timothy:  *^I 
charge  thee  therefore  before  God,  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and 
the  dead  at  his  appearing  and  his  kingdom; 
preach  the  word;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of 
season;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort,  with  all  long- 
suffering  and  doctrine.  For  the  time  will  come 
when  they  will  not  endure  sound  doctrine;  but 
after  their  own  lusts  shall  they  heap  to  them- 
selves teachers,  having  itching  ears;  and  they 
shall  turn  away  their  ears  from  the  truth,  and 
shall  be  turned  unto  fables.  But  watch  thou  in 
all  things,  endure  afflictions,  do  the  work  of  an 
evangelist,  make  full  proof  of  thy  ministry. ' ' 

Gentlemen,  we  will  fulfill  our  ministry  just  in 
proportion  as  we  are  willing  to  fill  our  hearts 
full,  like  that  old  man,  Paul,  with  Christian 
graces,  earnest  duties,  and  kind- deeds !  I  charge 
you  to-night  with  the  spirit  of  Christian  brother- 
hood, and  here  upon  this  platform,  at  the  very 
outset  of  this  meeting,  I  articulate  the  deepest 
principles  of  this  Brotherhood. 

I  say  first  of  all  that  true  brotherhood  is  a 
universal  brotherhood ;  that  it  does  not  recognize 
class  or  creed  or  race;  and  no  man  is  a  true 
brother  to  his  fellow-men  who  is  not  a  brother  to 
every  one  of  God  ^s  children,  be  he  black  or  white, 
red  or  yellow,  rich  or  poor,  high  or  low,  bond  or 
free. 

I  say,  in  the  second  place,  the  true  feeling  of 
brotherhood  is  not  an  unproductive  emotion  of 


20  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  soul.  It  is  a  feeling  that  generates  deeds ;  it 
is  a  dynamic  that  compels  action,  that  sends  a 
man  forth  out  of  this  convention  and  into  the 
places  of  business  to  do  men  good,  and  to  do  it 
as  our  friend  has  so  tenderly  said  and  with  so 
much  truth — not  by  proxy,  but  with  his  own 
hands  and  his  own  heart. 

I  had  an  illustration  of  this  last  Saturday 
morning,  which  brought  this  truth  home  to  me 
as  I  never  before  felt  it  in  my  life.  In  a  little 
New  Jersey  village,  a  few  of  us  who  loved 
her  laid  the  body  of  my  old  mother,  eighty-three 
years  of  age,  to  rest.  We  were  far  away  from 
the  conveniences  of  a  great  city,  and  when  the 
time  came  to  drop  that  casket  into  the  ground, 
my  brother-in-law  and  I,  and  two  cousins  of 
ours  took  that  casket  by  the  handles,  and  let  it 
down  ourselves  into  the  ground.  As  those 
leather  thongs  slipped  through  my  hands,  and 
I  saw  that  casket  sink  into  the  bosom  of  the 
earth,  the  thought  that  I  had  done  *'with  my  own 
hands, '^  the  last  thing  a  man  can  do  for  his 
mother,  filled  me  with  an  inexplicably  sweet 
emotion.  We  hire  doctors  to  cure  the  sick, 
nurses  to  care  for  our  loved  ones,  undertakers  to 
bury  them,  and  bearers  to  follow  them  to  the 
grave;  but  I  dropped  my  mother — and  I  shall 
remember  it  to  the  day  of  my  death — into  the 
bosom  of  earth  with  my  own  hands ! 

It  is  not  by  proxy,  it  is  with  our  own  hands  and 
hearts  that  we  build  up  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  the  man  who  is  not  willing  to  do  this  him- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  21 

self,  is  no  true  brother.  That  is  no  true  brother 
who  does  not  believe  that  what  is  good  for  the 
hive  is  good  for  the  bee,  and  what  is  good  for 
the  bee  is  good  for  the  hive;  who  is  willing  to 
do  and  to  bear  and  to  die,  if  need  be,  for  his 
fellow-men. 

Pericles  said  upon  his  deathbed,  ^'My  great- 
est consolation  is  this,  that  I  have  never  made 
an  Athenian  wear  mourning. '^  But  this  is  not 
enough  for  the  Christian,  who  consoles  his  mind 
with  the  fact  that  he  gives  the  ^^oil  of  joy  for 
mourning,  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit 
of  heaviness. ''  This  is  no  negative  life,  it  is 
a  positive  life !  We  have  come  down  here  from 
far  distant  places  to  meet  together  and  think 
and  plan  and  do!  And  it  is  an  impressive 
fact  that  these  men  come  from  all  over  the  coun- 
try to  this  central  place,  each  to  deposit,  perhaps, 
a  germ  of  thought  that  will  work  good  for  his 
brother.  It  is  said  that  the  land  crabs  of  the 
East  Indies  come  down  from  the  mountains  in 
solemn  procession  to  the  sea,  in  order  to  deposit 
the  germs  of  future  generations  in  those  life- 
engendering  waters,  and  that  leaving  them  there 
to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  ocean,  they  crawl 
back  again  to  the  hills  from  whence  they  came. 
From  all  over  the  country,  from  the  Mississippi, 
from  the  Eocky  Mountains,  from  the  border 
lands  of  Canada,  and  from  Mexico,  you  men  have 
marched  down  here  to  deposit  your  thoughts 
in  the  fertilizing  waters  of  this  convention.  Per- 
haps some  of  these  thoughts  may  bring  forth 


22  THE    PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

life  without  a  further  effort  of  your  own.  But 
God  has  so  planned  it  that  our  thoughts  must 
ordinarily,  at  least,  be  brooded  over,  and 
brought  to  life  by  our  own  hands!  And  I  say 
to  you,  if  you  go  back  to  your  homes  without 
iDrooding  over  these  thoughts  and  bringing 
them  to  life  yourselves  and  without  taking- 
back  with  you  new  energy  derived  from  others 
here  expressed,  your  coming  will  have  been 
in  vain. 

You  have  come  to  preach  an  ideal  brother- 
hood. Is  it  not  a  law  that  every  great  ideal  be- 
comes a  fact?  Heaven  is  an  ideal,  become  as 
real  as  earth.  Your  dream  of  a  universal  broth- 
erhood will  be  materialized  if  you  determine 
that  it  shall !  Will  you  determine  that  it  shall  ? 
Will  you  speak  and  act,  will  you  consecrate 
yourselves  to  this  Christian  Brotherhood!  Will 
you  do  what  you  say  I 

It  is  recorded  that  in  the  French  Assembly, 
which  preceded  the  Kevolution,  the  critics  who 
laughed  at  Robespierre,  as  he  strutted  about 
the  stage,  were  checked  by  Mirabeau,  who 
shaking  back  his  locks,  cried  out:  ^'Do 
not  laugh  at  that  man;  he  means  what  he 
says ! ' ' 

Do  you  mean  what  you  say!  You  have 
preached  this  Brotherhood — do  you  mean  it! 
Then  let  us  go  back  to  our  homes  pledged  and 
consecrated  to  the  realization  of  our  dreams. 

Once  more  I  bring  you  the  welcome  of  the 
Queen  City  of  the  West* 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  23 


RESPONSE  TO  ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME 

Rev.  John  Clark  Hill^  D.  D. — There  is  no 
mistaking  the  character  of  this  welcome.  We 
heartily  thank  you  for  it. 

The  Assembly  at  Des  Moines  had  no  sooner 
given  approval  to  our  organization  than  the 
Cincinnati  commissioners  determined  to  get  at 
work  at  once.  Their  enthusiasm  became  con- 
tagious. The  men  of  our  churches  here  forged 
ahead  with  sturdy  Presbyterian  loyalty  and 
determination.  The  Brotherhood  in  this  city  set 
a  pace  that  was  adopted  by  a  few  other  places 
but  perhaps  in  but  one  or  two  have  such  emi- 
nently practical  results  been  effected.  This  city 
has  shown  the  possibilities  of  the  Brotherhood 
movement  in  a  most  signal  way. 

Dr.  Goss  illustrated  the  spirit  that  has  domi- 
nated the  direction  of  the  movement  here.  We 
hope  that  this  spirit  of  enthusiasm,  brotherhood 
and  serious  purpose  will  be  caught  by  every  one 
of  us,  so  that  from  this  convention  there  will 
spread  the  fire  of  glowing  zeal  that  will  every- 
where stir  embers  into  flame. 

We  come  here  with  our  banners  inscribed 
^^The  Men  of  America  for  the  Man  of  Galilee,'' 
and  you  meet  us  with  a  message  that  emphasizes 
this  by  demonstrating  the  fact  that  the  Presby- 
terian Brotherhood  is  charged  with  great,  seri- 
ous, solemn  responsibilities.  We  realize  the  fact 
that  the  men  of  our  churches  are  awakening  to 


24  THE    PRESBYTEEIAX    BROTHERHOOD 

their  responsibilities,  that  we  men  are  charged 
with  responsibilities  as  men. 

It  is  now  jnst  fourteen  years  since  the  first 
notable  movement  was  made  to  organize  men  in 
the  local  churches  for  Christian  service.  It  is 
twelve  years  since  our  General  Assembly  first 
took  notice  of  the  movement.  The  Assembly 
then  said:  ^'The  men  of  our  church,  as  a  class, 
are  falling  to  the  rear  of  the  great  host  of  God 
in  both  service  and  benevolence.  This  occurs 
largely  because  they  are  not  organized  into  asso- 
ciations as  the  women  are.  To  evangelize  men, 
to  pray  and  labor  for  their  salvation  is  the  need 
of  the  hour  second  to  no  other  call  in  the  sphere 
of  Christian  work." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  what  we  see  to-day, 
a  growing  force  that  will,  we  verily  believe,  in- 
fuse all  the  men  of  our  churches  with  new  life. 

Our  first  convention  was  a  gathering  of  some 
twelve  hundred  serious  men  from  all  over  the 
land.  They  were  not  out  for  a  holiday  with 
yells  and  songs  and  frothy  enthusiasm.  They 
met  to  give  form  to  what  had  been  somewhat 
indefinite  before.  The  activities  of  a  year  have 
not  been  notable  in  outward  aggression,  but 
there  has  been  some  very  deep  and  purposeful 
thinking  and  planning,  and  we  believe  the  men 
of  our  Brotherhood  realize  to-day,  as  they  did 
not  a  year  ago,  that  this  movement  must  become 
more  and  more  unified  in  purpose  and  method 
and  that  we  must  employ  the  means  that  other 
similar   organizations  have  found  not  merely 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  25 

helpful,  but  absolute  necessities  for  the  exten- 
sion of  the  movement  and  its  permanent  effi- 
ciency. 

We  assemble  here  with  the  conviction  that  this 
is  a  providential  movement.  It  comes  at  a  time 
when  there  is  more  need  than  ever  in  the  history 
of  our  country  for  confessed  Christian  men  to 
make  religion  the  dominating  force  in  their 
lives. 

This  movement  is  awakening  our  men  to  see 
that  Christ 's  religion  is  something  far  more  than 
attending  public  worship,  making  contributions, 
singing  hymns  and  making  prayers;  that  it  in- 
cludes love  manifested  in  active  efforts  to  help 
men,  to  lift  up  the  fallen,  the  oppressed,  the 
rescuing  of  the  unfortunate  and  the  engaging  in 
positive  efforts  to  save  human  society  from  its 
innate  tendency  to  corruption  that  means  the 
utter  destruction  of  purity,  the  extinction  of  the 
family  and  the  debasement  of  humanity. 

The  motto  of  this  convention  stands  for  all 
this.  Our  motto  sounds  a  virile  note.  There  has 
been  in  religious  activities  a  marked  tendency 
toward  what  some  one  has  labeled,  ^^The 
eternal  feminine."  As  men  we  must  sound  a 
strong  clear  masculine  note  that  will  find  a  re- 
sonant response  in  the  heart  of  every  man  who 
hears  it. 

There  is  a  marked  and  necessary  difference 
between  men  and  women  in  religion.  We  are 
only  nowadays  coming  to  see  what  this  means. 
The  women,  God  bless  them,  a  generation  and 


26  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

more  ago  recognized  this.  They  went  to  work 
as  women  for  women.  So  eminently  successful 
have  they  been  that  they  have,  in  very  deed, 
made  the  men  ashamed  of  themselves.  They 
have  not  taunted  the  men  with  being  laggards 
and  drones,  but  such  we  have  been.  Now  we 
are  repenting.  We  are  beginning  to  see  that  life 
is  not  mere  sentiment,  but  that  the  life  of  the 
Christian  man  must  be  veritable  war. 

The  platitudinous  apostles  of  dreams  of  sweet- 
ness and  beauty  have  obscured  the  masculine, 
the  military  aspect  of  our  religion.  Why,  men 
and  brothers,  the  life  of  the  soldier,  the  disci- 
pline of  the  warrior,  the  arms  and  armor  and 
ardor  of  the  soldier  furnished  to  the  Master  and 
his  apostles  figure  for  the  most  vivid  illustra- 
tions and  most  fervid  appeals.  The  Christ  came 
not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword !  Brothers,  life 
for  us  is  not  a  dream  but  war!  Paul  is  con- 
stantly recurring  to  the  military  conception  of 
the  Christian  as  the  ideal.  The  whole  New 
Testament  is  a  book  for  men.  It  is  full  of  virile 
masculinity. 

Take  even  that  much  used  but  greatly  abused 
and  misused  word,  love.  The  modern  concep- 
tion of  it,  to  most  minds,  suggests  mere  senti- 
ment with  a  predominating  feminine  factor,  but 
the  Greek  word  is  a  much  larger  and  more  mas- 
culine thing.  It  is  a  word  that  rings  with  the 
virile  note.  What  is  it !  Love  includes  all  there 
is  in  man,  bound  up  in  an  effort  to  realize  good 
for  others.    It  is  not  a  thing  of  mere  emotion, 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  27 

but  the  determination  of  the  will  stimulated  by 
the  conclusions  of  the  intellect.     That^s  love. 

That's  the  love  displayed  in  the  manliness  of 
the  Master,  the  Man  of  Galilee.  We  take  him 
as  our  leader.  We  declare  our  adhesion  to  him. 
We  enlist  under  his  banner  as  soldiers,  and, 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  with  hearts  ablaze  with 
determined  zeal,  we  declare  our  purpose  to  win 
men  to  him. 

This  is  why  we  are  here,  to  help  each  other  do 
valiant  service  in  the  battle. 

Mr.  Holt. — It  would  ill  become  anyone  look- 
ing out  over  this  magnificent  and  inspiring  au- 
dience to  sound  anything  like  a  note  of  a  disap- 
pointment,  yet  we  cannot  help  regretting,  from 
the  personal  side,  that  our  honored  and  distin- 
guished friend,  John  W.  Foster,  is  laid  aside  by 
illness  and  is  unable  to  be  with  us  to  deliver  the 
message  which  he  was  to  bring  to  this  conven- 
tion. Telegrams  received  from  Mrs.  Foster  say 
that  he  is  confined  to  his  bed  by  an  illness  which 
does  not  permit  his  taking  the  journey. 

Fortunately,  the  message  was  already  pre- 
pared, out  of  the  fruitage  of  his  long  service  in 
church  and  state,  and  at  his  request  it  will  be 
read  to  the  convention  by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Henry 
M.  Curtis,  pastor  of  the  Mt.  Auburn  Church. 


in 

THE  LAYMAN  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

BY  HON.  JOHN  W.  FOSTER 

The  organization  of  this  Brotherhood  is 
another  evidence  that  the  present  is  the  era  of 
the  layman's  activity  in  church  work.  This  is 
the  result  in  large  measure  of  the  unprecedented 
commercial  development  of  the  world.  Steam 
and  electricity  have  almost  annihilated  distance 
and  race  exclusion,  and  to-day  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  are  brought  into  intimate  intercourse 
and  have  become  interdependent  upon  each 
each  other.  In  this  changed  condition  of  the 
world  our  country  is  bearing  a  prominent  part. 
We  are  sending  abroad  more  of  the  fruits  of  the 
soil  which  feed  and  clothe  mankind  than  any 
other  nation.  The  products  of  the  factories  of 
Cincinnati  and  the  other  centers  of  our  indus- 
tries go  in  great  quantities  to  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth.  This  state  of  affairs  has  awakened 
intense  individuality,  and  it  is  natural  that  it 
should  be  developd  in  the  church  activity  as 
well  as  in  business. 

But  as  steam  and  electricity  have  opened  up 
the  nations  to  commerce,  they  have  likewise 
opened  them  to  the  free  dissemination  of  intelli- 

28 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  29 

gence,  and  consequently  to  the  spread  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  It  is  neither  natural,  nor 
creditable  to  Christianity,  that  American  prod- 
ucts and  manufactures  should  reach  all  parts 
of  the  world  to  the  benefit  of  mankind,  and  that 
the  church  should  not  be  awake  to  the  opportuni- 
ties which  these  changed  conditions  present  to  it. 
In  view  of  these  facts  I  have  thought  it  well  to 
ask  the  laymen  banded  together  in  this  Brother- 
hood, and  the  Presbyterian  laymen  generally  in 
our  great  church,  what  is  their  duty  and  their 
opportunity  in  the  foreign  mission  work. 

I  do  not  forget  that  when  the  Founder  of  the 
Christian  Church  gave  the  command  to  his  dis- 
ciples to  preach  his  gospel  among  all  nations, 
he  added — ^^ beginning  at  Jerusalem.''  But  the 
lajTuen  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  I  am  proud 
to  say,  are  patriotic  Americans,  and  there  is  no 
danger  that  in  their  zeal  for  foreign  missions 
they  will  lose  interest  in  the  great  work  of  evan- 
gelizing our  own  country.  It  is  because  the 
transformation  of  the  nations  is  now  so  complete, 
and  the  opportunities  for  the  spread  of  the 
gospel  in  non-Christian  lands  is  so  great,  that  we 
feel  it  our  duty  to  awaken  the  laymen  of  our 
church  to  renewed  activity  in  this  cause.  Let  us 
consider  then  in  what  way  our  laymen  may 
most  effectively  aid  the  foreign  missionary 
movement. 

Very  few  of  us  are  so  situated  or  fitted  that 
we  can  give  our  own  service  as  missionaries. 
Happily,  that  is  not  the  most  urgent  need.    Some 


30  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

of  US  can  respond  to  the  movement  lately  organ- 
ized for  sending  commissions  of  laymen  from 
the  various  denominations  to  visit  and  inspect 
the  mission  fields.  Snch  commissions  are  useful 
in  two  respects :  first,  the  visits  greatly  encour- 
age the  missionaries  and  their  adherents ;  and, 
second,  it  never  fails  to  awaken  a  greater  interest 
in  missions  on  the  part  of  those  who  make  the 
visit.  Two  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Wash- 
ington City,  one  a  Baptist  and  the  other  a  Con- 
gregationalist,  made  a  journey  during  the 
present  year  to  Japan  and  China,  and  have  re- 
turned home  most  enthusiastic  respecting  the 
mission  work  being  carried  on  in  those  important 
countries.  Their  new  zeal  and  their  testimony 
are  having  a  most  salutary  influence  in  stirring 
up  in  all  the  Protestant  churches  of  the  capital 
a  larger  and  more  intelligent  interest  in  foreign 
missions. 

All  the  world  knows  of  the  recent  tour  of  the 
globe  of  that  noted  Presbyterian  elder,  William 
J.  Bryan.  When  in  pagan  lands  he  was  careful 
to  study  the  mission  problem  and  to  cheer  the 
missionaries  by  personally  visiting  them  and  in- 
specting their  work.  On  his  return  home  he  has 
rendered  Christianity  an  invaluable  service  in 
his  public  commendation  of  the  foreign  mission- 
aries and  their  cause.  Quite  a  number  of  other 
Presbyterian  laymen  are  following  his  example 
to  their  own  enjoyment  and  the  good  of  missions. 
However,  only  one  in  a  thousand  may  be  able 
to  do  this;  but  there  are  two  effective  ways  in 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  31 

which  every  lajman  may  aid  the  cause  of  foreign 
missions.    Let  us  examine  them. 

Notwithstanding  the  plain  and  repeated  in- 
junction of  Jesus  Christ  to  his  followers  to  go 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  his  gospel  to  every 
creature,  and  that  it  is  the  first  duty  of  every 
Christian  church  to  obey  this  command,  it  is  a 
sad  fact  that  in  almost  all,  if  not  all,  Presb}^- 
terian  churches  are  found  professed  followers 
of  Christ  who  say:  ^^I  do  not  believe  in  foreign 
missions;^'  or  who  are  indifferent  to  this  cause. 
What  a  great  impetus  would  be  given  to  foreign 
missions  if  the  skeptical  could  be  converted  and 
the  indifferent  in  our  churches  turned  into 
ardent  supporters  of  that  cause !  This  is  the  first 
service  to  which  I  would  summon  the  la^onen  of 
our  church. 

It  seems  strange  that  any  one  who  has  accepted 
Christ  as  his  Saviour  can  fail  to  desire  that  all 
mankind  should  enjoy  the  same  blessing ;  and  yet 
it  is  well  known  that  there  is  among  nominally 
Christian  people,  not  only  with  the  masses,  but 
among  men  of  intelligence  and  influence,  a  dis- 
belief in  the  expediency  of  foreign  missions 
which  is  greatly  crippling  the  resources  of  the 
churches.  Allow  me  to  give  one  or  two  examples 
from  my  own  experience. 

The  after-dinner  smoking  room  during  the 
social  season  in  Washington  is  not  usually  sup- 
posed to  be  the  theater  of  very  serious  discus- 
sion ;  but  I  am  pleased  to  say  that  it  occasionally 
furnishes  something  more  inspiring  than  gossip 


32  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

or  unsavory  anecdotes.  Some  time  ago,  when 
the  complications  arising  out  of  the  Boxer 
troubles  in  China  were  the  theme  of  general  con- 
sideration, I  was  sitting  beside  a  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  while  he 
smoked  his  cigar.  Knowing  I  had  been  in  China 
and  other  countries  of  the  East,  he  asked  me  if 
I  did  not  think  it  would  be  best  to  withdraw  all 
of  our  missionaries  from  that  region  of  the  globe, 
as  they  seemed  to  be  the  main  cause  of  the 
troubles  which  had  involved  our  country  and  the 
other  nations  in  serious  embarrassments.  This 
gentleman  was  a  pew-holder  in  one  of  our 
churches  and,  I  am  sure,  has  a  high  estimate  of 
the  influence  of  Christianity  on  mankind. 

Not  long  afterwards  I  joined  a  circle  of  similar 
smokers,  who  had  already  entered  upon  a  discus- 
sion to  which  I  was  invited  to  become  a  partici- 
pant. The  chief  person  in  the  group  was  an 
American  ambassador  to  a  prominent  European 
court,  enjoying  a  leave  of  absence  and  familiar- 
izing himself  with  American  sentiment.  Another 
member  of  the  circle  was  a  well-known  bishop. 
The  ambassador  said,  ^^Here  comes  Mr.  Foster, 
let's  hear  what  he  has  to  say  about  it.'*  And  he 
then  propounded  to  me  the  questions,  whether, 
from  my  observation  in  the  East,  I  thought  it 
worth  while  to  maintain  the  missionary  move- 
ment in  those  countries;  was  Christianity 
adapted  to  the  Asiatic  races;  could  they  com- 
prehend and  practice  its  precepts;  and  would 
they  not  be  better  off  with  the  religions  they  now 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  33 

possess?  The  ambassador,  who  was  maintain- 
ing the  anti-missionary  view  of  these  questions, 
is  a  church  communicant,  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  able  and  enlightened  of  our  pub- 
lic men. 

Thus  were  presented,  by  not  hostile  critics, 
two  of  the  most  important  questions  involved  in 
the  propagation  of  Christianity — first,  the  wis- 
dom or  good  policy,  from  a  political  or  business 
standpoint,  of  the  maintenance  of  foreign  mis- 
sions; and,  second,  the  adaptability  of  Chris- 
tianity to  races  and  people  of  different  or  lower 
civilization  than  ours. 

It  will  not  be  possible  in  the  time  allotted  to 
me  to-night  to  enter  at  any  length  upon  the  dis- 
cussion of  these  questions,  but  you  may  be  in- 
terested in  some  of  the  replies,  very  briefly 
noticed,  which  I  made  to  the  justice  and  the 
ambassador. 

I  answered  the  justice  that  his  conclusion  was 
based  upon  a  false  premise,  as  the  Christian  mis- 
sionaries were  not  the  main  cause  of  the  recent 
political  disturbances  in  China.  I  did  not  deny 
that  they  came  as  uninvited  and  unwelcome 
guests,  but  it  was  not  the  practice  of  the  propa- 
gators of  a  new  religion  to  secure  the  consent  of  a 
people  before  they  entered  upon  their  work. 
Buddhism  had  endured  many  hardships  and 
much  persecution  in  India,  China,  Korea  and 
Japan  before  it  became  an  established  religion. 
Mohammedanism  had  been  carried  by  fire  and 
sword  through  three  continents.    In  few  coun- 


S4t  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

tries  of  the  world  had  Christianity  effected  a 
welcome  entrance.  Our  British  ancestors  se- 
cured its  blessings  only  after  four  hundred  years 
of  struggle  and  persecution. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  into  China  has  caused  disturbances. 
There,  as  elsewhere,  and  in  all  ages,  its  influ- 
ence has  been  revolutionary.  Its  Founder  de- 
clared that  he  '^came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a 
sword. ' '  Paul,  the  first  and  greatest  of  all  mis- 
sionaries, when  he  declared  the  gospel  was  the 
*  ^  power  of  God, '  ^  used  the  Greek  word  dunamis, 
which  has  been  anglicized  to  designate  the  most 
powerful  of  all  modern  explosives,  dynamite. 
The  teaching  of  Christianity  in  China  tended  to 
the  introduction  of  ideas  hostile  to  the  existing 
governmental  and  social  order.  But  the  testi- 
mony of  the  best  observers  is  that  the  Chinese 
are  not  inclined  to  religious  persecution,  and  that 
their  antipathy  to  the  missionaries  is  not  so  much 
on  account  of  their  religion  as  because  they  are 
foreigners,  and  their  presence  leads  to  the  intro- 
duction of  foreign  methods.  Nevertheless  the 
propagation  of  Christianity  has  been  attended 
by  serious  opposition  and  bloody  riots. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  history  of  China, 
however,  will  show  that  the  missionaries  were 
far  from  being  the  chief  cause  of  the  Boxer  up- 
rising and  the  disturbances  of  the  year  1900. 
History  makes  it  plain  that  the  principal  object 
of  securing  intercourse  with  the  East  by  the 
Christian  nations  has  been  the  introduction  and 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  35 

extension  of  commerce.  On  this  account  China 
has  time  and  again  suffered  war  and  great 
humiliation  at  the  hands  of  powerful  European 
nations.  The  unwelcome  traffic  in  opium,  forced 
upon  China  by  Great  Britain  in  order  to  benefit 
British  India,  has  spread  its  baleful  effects 
throughout  the  whole  land.  The  establishment 
of  lines  of  steamships  and  the  construction  of 
railroads  have  thrown  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  Chinese  laborers  out  of  employment.  The 
growing  importation  of  American  and  British 
cotton  fabrics  has  made  idle  looms  and  untilled 
cotton  fields.  American  kerosene  is  destroying 
the  husbandry  of  vegetable  oils.  And  in  an 
infinity  of  other  ways  is  Western  commerce 
affecting  the  domestic  industries,  and  this  with 
a  people  who  are  intensely  conservative,  wed- 
ded to  ancient  customs,  and  inveterate  enemies 
of  foreign  trade. 

But  the  most  potent  cause  of  the  Boxer  move- 
ment was  neither  the  missions  nor  commerce, 
but  the  political  influences  which  were  operating 
for  the  dismemberment  of  the  empire.  I  re- 
viewed to  the  justice  the  results  of  the  Chinese- 
Japanese  War  of  1894,  the  seizure  by  Germany 
of  a  large  part  of  Shan-tung  province,  by  Eussia 
of  Port  Arthur  and  the  Liau-tung  peninsula,  by 
Great  Britain  of  Wei-hai-wei,  and  by  France  of 
a  large  section  of  territory  in  southern  China; 
I  cited  the  agreements  or  treaties  among  those 
European  powers  as  to  what  are  termed 
** spheres  of  influence''  in  China,  without  con- 


36  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

suiting  the  government  of  that  country  or  taking 
its  wishes  or  interests  into  account. 

The  rulers  of  China  understood  full  well  that 
these  and  similar  previous  acts  of  the  European 
governments  had  been  the  chief  cause  which 
had  nerved  their  people  to  rise  in  their  wrath 
and  undertake  the  impossible  task  of  the  expul- 
sion of  the  foreigners. 

But  I  insisted  that  there  were  strong  social 
and  political  considerations  why  the  missionaries 
should  remain  in  the  country  and  be  permitted  to 
continue  their  work.  They  were  not  merely  the 
preachers  of  a  new  religion.  They  were  useful 
to  the  government  and  society  in  many  ways. 
Everywhere  they  brought  the  benefits  of  educa- 
tion and  medicine,  established  schools  and  hos- 
pitals, and  awakened  a  thirst  for  western  knowl- 
edge. Their  claim  to  protection  and  their  use- 
ful service  to  China  had  been  recognized  by  im- 
perial edicts,  but  these  could  not,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  people,  change  their  character  as  odious  for- 
eigners. In  the  effort  to  expel  all  foreigners 
from  the  country  they  suffered  the  same  fate  as 
the  diplomat,  the  merchant,  and  the  railroad 
builder. 

In  the  political  relations  of  the  nations  of 
Europe  and  America  with  the  East  the  mission- 
aries have  occupied  an  important  place.  Much 
diversity  of  sentiment  has  been  expressed  by 
writers  upon  the  effects  of  the  labors  of  the  Chris- 
tian missionaries  in  the  Orient,  but  the  better 
judgment  of  candid  observers  is  in  favor  of  their 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  37 

beneficial  influence  on  the  rulers  and  people, 
even  aside  from  the  religious  consideration  in- 
volved. Their  useful  service  in  connection  with 
the  diplomatic  intercourse  of  the  Western  nations 
with  the  Far  East  has  been  especially  conspicu- 
ous. It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  up  to  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  the  governments  of 
Europe  and  America  were  almost  entirely  de- 
pendent upon  the  missionaries  for  the  direct 
conduct  of  their  intercourse  with  Chinese 
officials. 

I  may  add  here,  parenthetically,  an  incident 
of  my  own  recent  experience  which  illustrates  the 
influence  of  American  missions  and  schools  ux)on 
the  Orient.  In  the  peace  conference  lately  in 
session  at  The  Hague,  French  was  the  official 
language,  but  the  delegates  were  allowed  to  use 
their  own  native  tongue  or  other  language,  if 
they  preferred  so  to  do.  At  one  of  the  sessions 
I  was  surprised  to  hear  one  of  the  delegates  from 
Bulgaria,  the  attorney-general  of  his  govern- 
ment, address  the  conference  in  English.  Soon 
afterwards  he  sought  me  out  and  said  that  he 
wanted  to  make  my  acquaintance  in  order  to  ex- 
press to  me  his  gratitude  to  my  country.  He 
then  explained  that  he  had  received  his  educa- 
tion at  Robert  College  ( an  institution  established 
at  Constantinople  by  American  Congregational- 
ists  and  Presbyterians),  and  that  to  President 
Washburn  and  his  associates  he  owed  a  debt 
which  he  could  never  repay.  He  added  that 
there  now  were  more  than  one  hundred  of  the 


38  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

former  students  of  Robert  College  who  were 
holding  prominent  positions  in  the  government 
of  Bulgaria,  and  that  his  country  owed  its  inde- 
pendence and  enlightenment  in  large  measure 
to  that  institution.  The  American  Christian  Col- 
lege at  Beirut  is  very  successfully  filling  a  simi- 
lar mission,  and  its  graduates  are  rapidly  occu- 
pying the  places  of  trust  and  honor  in  Egypt 
and  Syria. 

If  my  companion  in  the  smoking  room,  the 
justice,  had  been  acquainted  with  these  facts, 
and  had  informed  himself  more  fully  of  the 
beneficent  influence  exercised  by  the  mission- 
aries in  education,  the  introduction  of  the 
sciences,  in  hospital  and  charity  work,  he  might 
have  revised  his  judgment  as  to  the  advisability 
of  withdrawing  our  missionaries  from  the 
countries  of  the  Orient.  In  fact,  he  admitted 
to  me  that  I  had  presented  the  subject  to  him 
in  a  new  light. 

Let  us  consider  briefly  the  queries  of  my 
other  companion  of  the  smoking  room,  his  Ex- 
cellency, the  ambassador.  They  are  questions 
quite  commonly  propounded  in  the  discussion 
of  the  missionary  movement  in  a  miscellaneous 
company.  They  are  frequently  heard  in  com- 
mercial circles  in  the  East,  on  the  steamers  as 
one  crosses  the  Pacific,  our  naval  officers  on 
foreign  stations  raise  them,  it  is  not  unusual  to 
see  them  advanced  in  the  secular  press  of  our 
country,  and  the  members  of  this  Brotherhood 
have  doubtless  heard  them  uttered  in  their  con- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  39 

gregations.  Is  Christianity  adapted  to  races 
and  people  of  a  different  or  lower  civilization? 
Would  it  not  be  better  to  confine  our  efforts  to 
the  propagation  of  religion  among  our  own  peo- 
ple and  give  up  the  hopeless  task  of  trying  to 
convert  the  heathen? 

When  the  ambassador  propounded  to  me 
these  questions  there  at  once  came  to  my  mind 
the  famous  declaration  of  the  great  apostolic 
missionary,  which  my  companion,  the  bishop, 
could  have  quoted  more  accurately  than  I  did 
that  evening — his  description  of  the  Corinthian 
church,  organized  in  part  out  of  material  as 
vile  and  debased  as  any  found  in  heathen  lands 
to-day.  You  recall  the  catalogue — fornicators, 
idolaters,  adulterers,  effeminate,  abusers  of 
themselves  with  mankind,  thieves,  covetous, 
drunkards,  revilers,  extortioners.  These  we  know 
were  washed,  sanctified,  and  justified  ''in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the  Spirit 
of  our  God,"  and  with  such  material  as  these 
the  foundations  of  the  Christian  Church  were 
laid  and  from  it  have  flowed  the  inestimable 
blessings  of  the  civilization  which  we  enjoy  to- 
day. The  gospel  and  the  Spirit  of  the  first  cen- 
tury are  the  same  and  equally  as  effective  in 
the  twentieth  century. 

It  displays  an  imperfect  knowledge  of 
the  East  to  conclude  that  the  grade  of  civili- 
zation of  the  people  of  that  region  is  so  low  or 
of  such  a  type  that  it  cannot  grasp  and  prac- 
tice the  spirit  and  principles  of  Christianity. 


40  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Take,  for  instance,  the  Chinese.  Here  is  a  race 
by  far  the  most  numerous  under  one  govern- 
ment on  the  globe.  It  has  a  continuous  history 
which  dates  beyond  the  days  of  ancient  Greece 
and  Rome.  Its  people  represented  a  consoli- 
dated government,  with  a  cultured  civilization 
and  a  literature,  in  the  time  of  the  long  extinct 
Egyptian  and  Assyrian  Empires.  It  has 
wrought  out  a  philosophy  as  nearly  perfect 
as  any  produced  without  the  aid  of  Chris- 
tianity. It  has  given  to  the  world  some  of  its 
most  important  discoveries  and  inventions 
— probably  more  than  any  other  ]people. 
It  is  idle  to  say  that  such  a  race  cannot  com- 
prehend and  practice  the  Christian  religion. 

It  is  true  that  the  race  has  not  readily  ac- 
cepted the  gospel  and  its  failure  to  do  so  has 
in  great  measure  grown  out  of  its  antiquity,  the 
possession  of  its  exalted  philosophy,  and  its 
high  grade  of  civilization.  But  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  Chinese  have  embraced  Chris- 
tianity, and  have  shown  by  consistent  and  faith- 
ful lives  that  they  have  become  new  men  in 
Jesus  Christ.  One  of  the  good  results  of  the 
Boxer  outbreak  was  to  show  to  the  world  that 
the  Chinese  Christians  were  true  to  their  new 
faith.  It  was  a  heroic  exhibition  of  devotion 
in  the  decision  of  thousands  of  converts  to  cast 
in  their  lot  with  the  hated  foreigners  and  stand 
by  them  through  the  terrible  experiences  of  the 
siege  of  the  legations  at  Peking.  They  could 
have  secured  immunity  and  safety  by  renounc- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  41 

ing  their  faith,  but  they  clung  to  it  with  the 
determination  of  martyrs,  and  the  carping 
critics  of  Christianity  must  admit  that  but  for 
the  aid  of  the  Chinese  converts,  the  legations 
would  have  been  destroyed  and  the  ministers 
and  foreign  refugees  massacred.  It  is  the  tes- 
timony of  all  writers  on  the  disturbances  of 
1900  that  the  great  mass  of  the  Chinese  converts 
remained  faithful.  In  the  long  and  bloody  his- 
tory of  Christian  missions  for  nineteen  hun- 
dred years  rarely  has  such  heroic  devotion  been 
shown.  Thousands  of  natives  in  North  China 
laid  down  their  lives  rather  than  apostatize. 
In  the  light  of  such  facts,  who  will  contend  that 
Christianity  is  not  adapted  to  the  Mongolian 
races  ? 

The  progress  of  Christianity  in  the  countries 
of  the  East  has  not  been  rapid,  but  it  is  wide- 
spread, and  they  are  so  leavened  with  the  gos- 
pel that  a  favorable  turn  in  political  affairs 
might  at  any  time  give  it  a  predominating  in- 
fluence. It  is  known  that  the  Emperor  of 
China  had  become  a  reader  of  the  Bible,  and 
his  liberal  advisers  were  in  some  degree  under 
the  influence  of  the  missionaries.  If  the  coup 
d'etat  of  the  Empress  Dowager  had  not  brought 
about  his  practical  dethronement,  Christianity 
might  soon  have  become  the  popular  religion  of 
the  people.  Sir  Eobert  Hart,  late  Inspector- 
General  of  the  Chinese  Customs,  a  high  authority 
on  Chinese  topics,  states  that  inveterate  hatred 
of  foreigners  which  pervades  all  classes,  em- 


42  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

bracing  one  fourth  of  the  human  race,  is  a 
serious  menace  to  the  peace  of  the  world,  and 
that  its  best  antidote  would  be  the  conversion 
of  the  nation  to  Christianity,  a  consummation 
possible,  but  in  his  judgment  not  probable,  or 
of  early  realization.  If  Christianity  is  the  best 
remedy  for  the  ills  which  afflict  China  and 
threaten  the  other  nations,  and  when  we  have 
such  indubitable  evidence  that  the  Chinese  are 
susceptible  to  its  influence,  is  it  not  worth  while 
for  the  American  churches  to  persist  in  the 
mission  work? 

*^But,''  asked  the  ambassador,  *^are  not  the 
heathen  better  off  with  the  religions  they  now 
possess?''  Hindooism  and  Buddhism,  the  pre- 
vailing cults  of  the  East,  embrace  among  their 
adherents  more  than  half  the  earth's  inhabit- 
ants. What  these  religions  have  accomplished 
for  their  people  is  most  impressively  under- 
stood by  one  who  travels  through  India,  Siam, 
China,  Korea,  and  Japan,  and  is  brought  in 
contact  with  the  degradation,  immorality,  su- 
perstition, ignorance,  squalor,  and  misery  there 
abounding. 

There  is  much  in  the  teaching  of  both  which 
appeals  to  the  higher  impulses  of  humanity 
and  which  should  have  an  elevating  tendency, 
but  in  their  present  perversion  and  degeneracy 
they  have  utterly  failed  as  religions  to  meet 
the  needs  of  those  myriads  of  people  who  have 
through  them  been  brought  into  the  blindest 
superstition  and  the  grossest  idolatry.    No  one 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  43 

who  enjoys  the  blessings  of  Christian  civiliza- 
tion, and  informs  himself  of  the  state  of  so- 
ciety in  the  countries  named,  can  for  a  moment 
doubt  that  the  possession  of  Christianity  would 
be  a  boon  of  inestimable  value  to  their  in- 
habitants. 

I  have  thus  hurriedly  and  very  imperfectly 
given  some  of  the  reasons  which  may  be  ad- 
vanced to  combat  the  disbelief  in  missions 
which  exists  in  many  of  our  church  congrega- 
tions. Until  this  disbelief  is  overcome,  the 
Presbyterian  Church  will  be  hampered  in  its 
foreign  mission  work.  This  Brotherhood  can 
do  much  in  overcoming  this  indifference,  and 
it  is  in  the  first  of  the  two  ways  which  I  sug- 
gest, that  our  laymen  can  effectively  aid  this 
great  cause. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  second  method  by 
which  every  Presbyterian  layman  may  effect- 
ively aid  in  the  work  of  foreign  missions. 

Since  Christ  died  for  man  there  never  has 
been  a  day  so  auspicious  for  the  missionary 
movement  as  the  present.  The  past  hundred 
years,  and  more  especially  the  last  fifty  years, 
have  been  a  time  of  preparation  for  the  work 
of  missions.  A  century  ago  the  Bible  was  a 
sealed  book  to  the  great  majority  of  the  human 
race.  To-day,  by  the  industry  and  devotion 
of  learned  missionaries  and  scholars,  the  re- 
vealed will  of  God  is  being  printed  in  almost 
every  known  language  and  dialect  throughout 
the  world,   and   printing  presses  not  only  in 


44  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

New  York,  London,  and  Edinburgh,  but  in 
China,  India,  Syria  and  in  other  pagan  lands, 
stand  ready  to  supply  every  inhabitant  of  the 
earth  with  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

Thus  far  the  work  of  the  missionary  has  been 
to  establish  himself  in  his  field  and  secure  a 
willing  ear  in  the  countries  where  he  is  located. 
This  work  has  been  in  great  measure  accom- 
plished. Not  only  is  every  heathen  nation 
freely  opened  to  the  gospel,  but  in  most  lands 
there  are  native  converts  in  abundance,  of  tried 
faithfulness  and  intellectual  capacity,  ready  to 
engage  in  the  work  of  Christian  missions.  One 
of  the  most  successful  missionaries,  personally 
known  to  me  to  be  judicious,  in  a  recent  letter 
from  his  field  says  that  to-day,  in  China, 
glorious  opportunities  present  themselves  to 
the  churches  for  the  largest  harvest  ever 
gathered  since  truth  was  arrayed  against  idola- 
try and  superstition.  He  states  that  trained 
helpers  are  the  most  efficient  agencies  for  this 
work.  They  know  the  language  as  no  foreigner 
after  thirty  years  of  study  can  know  it.  They 
are  intimately  acquainted  with  their  own  peo- 
ple. They  can  gain  access  to  them  as  the  for- 
eign missionary  never  can.  They  are  invalu- 
able for  the  propagation  of  the  work.  One  of 
these  helpers  can  be  supported  one  year  on  $75, 
who  can  reach  more  than  10,000  men  and 
women.  If  the  non-Christian  lands  are  to  be 
brought  to  Christ,  the  work  must  be  done  largely 
by  native  converts. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  45 

The  circulation  of  the  Bible  and  the  spread 
of  the  gospel  in  those  lands  has  come  to  be  in 
great  measure  a  financial  question.  The 
prayers  and  sympathy  of  the  Christian  churches 
and  a  limited  supply  of  missionaries  are  needed, 
but  the  great  want  of  the  mission  movement 
to-day  is  money.  The  machinery  is  provided. 
The  printing  presses  can  supply  the  Bible  in 
every  tongue  in  unlimited  quantities,  and  na- 
tive helpers  are  ready  to  carry  the  gospel  of 
Christ  to  their  dying  fellow-men.  After  visit- 
ing the  most  important  mission  fields  and  from 
a  personal  knowledge  of  many  of  the  members 
and  somewhat  of  the  methods  of  the  mission 
boards  of  the  Protestant  churches  in  America, 
I  speak  with  assurance  when  I  say  that  few 
business  and  commercial  enterprises  are  better 
or  more  economically  managed  than  these  mis- 
sion boards.  This  is  especially  true  of  the 
Presbyterian  board.  Their  trusts  are  admin- 
istered prudently  and  at  a  very  small  percentage 
of  cost. 

Because  of  the  preparedness  of  the  field  and 
the  effectiveness  and  experience  of  the  boards, 
every  dollar  contributed  now  to  foreign  missions 
will  be  ten  times  more  eifective  than  it  would 
have  been  fifty  years  ago.  Hence,  the  im- 
portant fact  to  be  impressed  upon  the  Christian 
churches  is  that,  if  the  world  is  to  be  won  for 
Christ,  they  must,  out  of  the  abundance  which 
God  is  showering  upon  this  country,  give  freely 
of  their  substance  to  carry  on  the  Lord's  work. 


46  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

'^He  hath  not  dealt  so  with  any  nation'';  its 
storehouses  and  its  barns  are  full  to  overflow- 
ing. In  this  time  of  our  prosperity  the  ripening 
mission  fields  call  us  to  bring  our  tithes  into 
the  treasuries  of  the  foreign  boards. 

In  the  congregations  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  more  of  the  wealth  of  this  country  is 
represented  probably  than  in  any  one  other 
denomination.  If  the  Brotherhood  and  the 
laymen  of  our  great  church  would  exert  them- 
selves to  bring  into  the  Foreign  Board  a  due 
proportion  of  this  abounding  wealth,  its  re- 
sources could  be  easily  doubled,  and  the  con- 
version of  the  world  to  Christ  would  be  greatly 
hastened.  May  the  good  Lord  aid  us  each  in 
our  allotted  sphere  to  do  our  full  duty  in  re- 
sponse to  the  last  great  command  of  our  Master 
to  carry  the  gospel  to  every  creature  on  this 
globe. 

Following  the  reading  of  this  paper,  it  was 
moved  and  carried  by  rising  vote,  that  a  tele- 
gram of  appreciation  and  sympathy  be  sent  to 
Mr.  Foster. 

Mr.  Holt. — I  am  sure  that  everyone  who  has 
ever  breathed  the  ozone  of  Colorado  is  tingling 
with  pleasure  as  he  anticipates  the  address  we 
are  now  to  listen  to,  on  ' '  The  Present-Day  De- 
mand for  Men  in  the  Extension  of  the  King- 
dom,"  by  a  former  Moderator  of  the  General 
Assembly. 


IV 

THE  PRESENT-DAY  DEMAND  FOR  MEN 

IN  THE  EXTENSION  OF  THE 

KINGDOM 

BY  EOBEKT  F.  COYLE,  D.D. 

I  would  just  like  to  give  you  first  of  all  a 
little  verse  I  wrote  on  the  train  coming  here: 

'•'From  California's  shores  of  gold  to  Jersey's  coast  of  sand; 
From  Minnesota's  lakes  and  hills,  to  Dixie's  sunny  land; 
From  East  and  West,  from  North  and  South,  in  valley,  plain, 

and  glen, 
The  call  of  God  is  sounding  loud  for  stalwart  Christian  men. ' ' 

Christianity  is  a  man^s  religion  and  men 
should  be  its  enthusiastic  promoters.  I  mean 
men  as  a  class.  The  qualities  which  men  are  sup- 
posed to  admire,  and  which  they  do  in  their  in- 
most hearts  admire — strength,  courage,  virility, 
heroism — are  the  very  qualities  to  which  Chris- 
tianity appeals,  and  for  whose  exercise  it  for- 
ever calls.  Since  the  day  of  Pentecost  it  has 
rallied  to  its  standard  men  of  peerless  ability 
and  commanding  power.  Nobody  but  the  igno- 
rant, or  the  blindly  prejudiced,  can  say,  as  some 
do  say,  that  it  attracts  only  the  weak,  that  it  has 
charms  for  women  and  children,  but  not,  as  a 
rule,  for  robust  and  mighty  men. 

47 


48  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

See  how  it  captivates,  not  only  the  stalwarts 
of  the  world,  but  allies  itself  to  the  strongest 
nations  and  gains  its  greatest  triumphs  among 
the  strongest  races.  This  has  been  true  from  the 
beginning.  A^Tien  the  religion  of  the  cross  be- 
gan its  career  it  did  not  turn  to  the  East  and 
enter  upon  its  crusade  among  the  old  and  decay- 
ing and  worn-out  civilizations.  It  turned  to  the 
West,  to  the  vigorous  Teuton,  to  the  brave 
Briton,  to  the  dashing  and  fiery  Celt.  Strong 
itself,  Christianity  has  always  had  an  affinity  for 
the  strong.  In  making  its  conquests  away 
yonder  in  the  early  centuries,  it  flung  itself  upon 
the  great  cities,  besieged  the  great  centers  and 
turned  the  weapons  of  its  warfare  upon  the 
strongholds  of  social  and  intellectual  power.  So 
it  has  been  from  that  day  to  this. 

Is  it  not  most  significant  that  the  vigorous, 
virile,  indomitable  Anglo-Saxon  race  is  the  one 
above  all  others  with  which  the  Christian  religion 
seems  most  at  home?  They  go  together,  they 
work  together,  they  overcome  together,  they  are 
congenial,  there  is  an  affinity  between  them,  and 
it  is  the  affinity  of  strength.  If  Christianity  were 
a  weak  thing,  suited  only  to  weak  people,  we 
would  find  it  most  prominent  among  the  weak 
and  inferior  races.  But  the  very  opposite  is 
true.  Wliere  people  are  strongest,  where  there 
is  the  most  force,  the  most  vigor  of  thought,  the 
most  will,  the  most  push,  there  you  find  the  most 
Christianity — a  fact  that  will  bear  thinking 
about. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  49 

It  is  necessary  sometimes  to  say  these  things 
because  there  are  men,  and  especially  young 
men,  who  are  entertaining  the  foolish  notion 
that  to  be  a  Christian  and  line  up  with  the 
Christian  elements  of  society  argues  weakness 
and  mediocrity  in  general.  They  think  of  it  as 
all  right  for  Sunday  schools  and  for  empty- 
headed  youth  and  for  mothers'  meetings  and 
for  sentimental  women  and  for  preachers,  but 
not  for  men — for  MEN.  There  never  was  a 
greater  mistake.  I  tell  you  it  takes  backbone, 
it  takes  moral  force,  it  takes  courage,  it  takes 
determination,  it  takes  heroism,  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian. As  Gypsy  Smith  says:  ^^ Cotton  wool 
won't  do  it,  jellyfish  won't  do  it,  cowards  won't 
do  it;  it  will  take  a  man  to  do  it."  When  a 
merchant  said  one  day,  in  reply  to  the  personal 
appeal  of  a  minister,  ''I  am  not  ma^i  enough 
to  be  a  Christian,"  he  had  the  right  conception 
of  what  it  means  to  touch  elbows  with  Jesus 
Christ  and  walk  uphill  and  downhill  with  him. 
In  thinking  of  the  j)resent  demand  for  men  in 
the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  let  us  ask 
ourselves  first  of  all : 

What  is  meant  by  the  extension  of  the  king- 
dom? What  does  it  involve?  The  answer  is 
simple  enough,  and  yet  the  significance  of  it  is 
too  often  lost  sight  of.  Maintaining  the  forms 
of  religion,  building  churches,  holding  what  are 
called  services,  keeping  up  ecclesiasticisms  and 
gathering  the  people  together  in  great  conven- 
tions and  filling  the  sky  with  the  pyrotechnics  of 


50  THE   PRESBYTEBIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

brilliant  speech  and  having  a  glorious  hallelujah 
time — all  that  is  not  necessarily  extending  the 
kingdom.  It  may  be  only  religious  dissipation. 
It  may  be  only  the  intoxication  of  the  saints.  It 
may  be  only  a  very  subtle  kind  of  selfish  indul- 
gence. Extending  the  kingdom  is  not  enjoying  the 
stimulus  of  great  eloquence,  or  the  thrill  of  great 
music,  or  the  applause  of  great  crowds.  It  is 
not  hand-clapping  and  bouquet-throwing,  and 
a  generous  bestowal  of  compliments.  As  I 
understand  it,  extending  the  kingdom  is  tre- 
mendously serious  business — business  that  calls 
for  sacrifice,  for  consecration,  for  definite  pur- 
pose, for  the  soldierly  conviction  and  the  sol- 
dierly march  and  the  soldierly  endurance  and 
the  soldierly  courage.  A  few  years  ago  a  great 
host  of  young  men  and  women  were  gathered 
for  study  and  conference  and  prayer  at  North- 
field,  that  shrine  of  devotion,  that  rallying  place 
of  the  followers  of  Christ,  made  forever  famous 
by  Dwight  L.  Moody.  One  day  in  the  midst  of 
their  songs  and  supplications,  borne  to  them  on 
the  wings  of  the  lightning,  there  came  this  mes- 
sage from  the  other  side  of  the  world :  *  *  Make 
Jesus  King ;  five  hundred  students, ' '  and  it  came 
from  Kioto  in  Japan.  I  do  not  wonder  that  it 
set  the  Northfield  Assembly  on  fire  with  enthusi- 
asm. ^^Make  Jesus  King*' —  that  is  what  it 
means  to  extend  the  kingdom.  Nothing  more, 
nothing  less.  There  is  no  kingdom  of  God  ex- 
cept where  men  bow  down  to  him  and  lay  their 
homage  at  his  feet.     There  never  was  a  time 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  51 

when  this  needed  emphasizing  more  than  to-day. 
Referring  to  Satan,  Jesus  said,  ^^When  he 
speaketh  a  lie,  he  speaketh  of  his  own:  for  he 
is  a  liar,  and  the  father  of  it."  That  lie  is  the 
subtle  and  unceasing  attack  upon  the  crown 
rights  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  one  issue 
of  the  hour  on  the  theological  side  of  Chris- 
tianity. Already  under  the  delusion  of  the  lie 
lapses  from  this  cardinal  truth  of  the  eternal 
kingship  of  Jesus  are  very  common,  and  I  pre- 
dict that  within  the  next  decade  or  two  they  will 
become  alarming. 

Look  at  the  modern  religious  cults  which  have 
become  so  conspicuous  in  the  last  few  years, 
most  prominent  among  which  are  Christian 
Science  and  Divine  Science,  both  of  them  teach- 
ing that  Jesus  is  only  one  of  the  sons  of  God. 
In  one  of  the  most  popular  books  of  Mrs. 
Eddyism,  Christ  is  spoken  of  repeatedly  as 
God 's  other  son,  the  clear  implication  being  that 
he  is  the  Son  of  God  only  in  the  same  sense  that 
we  are  sons  of  God.  Instead  of  standing  apart, 
unique,  solitary,  transcendent,  as  the  Only  Be- 
gotten of  the  Father,  he  is  brought  down  and 
set  in  the  same  class  with  us.  Let  this  teach- 
ing become  common  and  the  worship  of  our 
blessed  Lord  will  soon  pass  away,  for  how  can 
we  worship  a  person  whom  we  regard  as  being 
simply  one  of  ourselves! 

These  cults  to  which  I  have  referred  do,  to  be 
sure,  apply  the  adjective  divine  to  Christ  again 
and  again,  but  so  they  apply  it  in  exactly  the 


52  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

same  sense  to  man.  Jesus  is  divine :  so  are  you : 
so  am  I.  Xow  divinity  is  one  thing;  deity  is 
an  absolutely  different  thing,  and  in  these  days 
we  cannot  be  too  careful  to  make  the  distinction. 
As  Dr.  Campbell  Morgan  has  said,  into  every- 
thing he  makes  God  puts  something  of  himself, 
not  only  into  men,  but  into  trees  and  flowers  and 
birds  and  mountains  and  all  the  works  of  nature. 
There  is  divinity  in  every  creature  of  his,  from 
the  lowest  to  the  highest,  but  deity  is  an  attribute 
of  the  eternal  God  alone,  and  by  these  new  re- 
ligions this  attribute  is  denied  to  Jesus  Christ. 
As  a  logical  consequence,  they  have  little  or  no 
use  for  the  cross.  The  atonement,  if  it  is  re- 
ferred to  at  all,  is  explained  away.  The  blood 
of  the  covenant  is  counted  an  unholy  thing,  and 
the  very  heart  of  Calvary  lost  sight  of. 

You  will  pardon  me  for  this  little  touch  of 
doctrine,  but  I  am  speaking  to  the  King's  men, 
and  I  am  sure  that  this  convention  will  be  practi- 
cal, and  our  lives  will  be  practical  only  in  so  far 
as  we  have  right  thoughts  of  him.  If  the  Lord 
our  God  is  to  be  with  us,  there  must  be  the  shout 
of  the  King  in  our  midst,  and  there  will  be  no 
shout  of  a  King  amongst  us  unless  he  is  King 
in  our  convictions.  ^^Make  Jesus  King,''  that 
is  what  we  mean  when  we  pray  ^^Thy  kingdom 
come,"  if  we  pray  intelligently.  And  there  can 
be  no  extension  of  the  kingdom,  no  coming  of 
the  reign  of  God,  where  that  is  not  done.  What 
we  want  is  that  all  ships  shall  sail  for  him,  and 
all  wheels  turn  for  him,  and  all  workers  toil  for 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  53 

him,  and  all  pens  write  for  him,  and  all  law- 
makers legislate  for  him,  and  all  tlie  different 
branches  of  the  church  universal  clasp  hands  in 
brotherly  love  about  the  cross  and  sing: 

*'A11  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name, 
Let  angels  prostrate  fall, 
Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem 
And  crown  him  Lord  of  all. ' ' 

Extending  the  kingdom  is  enthroning  the  King. 
And  for  this  work  there  has  always  been  a 
demand  for  men.  In  the  beginning  Christ  called 
men  to  his  standard,  put  into  their  hands  the 
great  commission  and  sent  them  forth  to  preach 
and  campaign  and  organize  and  carry  forward 
the  stupendous  enterprise  of  evangelizing  the 
world.  The  first  Christian  societies  were  socie- 
ties of  men,  and  they  were  essentially  mission- 
ary in  their  character.  In  apostolic  times,  in 
that  immortal  grapple  with  the  Roman  Em- 
pire, in  those  awful  days  when  the  followers  of 
Jesus  were  stoned,  sawed  asunder,  slain  with 
the  sword,  when  they  wandered  about  in  sheep- 
skins and  goatskins,  when  they  were  smeared 
with  pitch  and  set  on  fire  in  the  gardens  of  Nero, 
in  that  period  of  indescribable  suffering,  when 
almost  every  step  of  Christian  progress  had  to 
be  taken  through  blood,  and  when  neither  age 
nor  sex  could  awaken  pity  nor  stay  the  carnival 
of  death,  men,  intrepid,  invincible,  God-girded 
men,  were  everywhere  in  the  front,  and  every- 
where stood  like  granite  against  the  billows  of 
pagan  hate.     From   that  day  to   this   history 


54  THE    PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

records  that  there  have  always  been  men  ready 
to  answer  the  call  of  God  and  say,  ' '  Here  am  I ; 
send  me. ' '  It  tells  us  that  men  of  oak  and  men 
of  granite  and  men  of  grace  have  never  been 
wanting  in  the  conflict  of  the  cross.  It  tells  us 
that  the  religion  of  the  Crucified  has  never  failed 
to  awaken  a  response  in  the  breasts  of  brave  and 
dauntless  men  who 

"Put  on  the  gospel  armor, 
And  watching  unto  prayer, 
Where  duty  called  or  danger, 
Were  never  wanting  there. ' ' 

Shall  we  find  them  wanting  to-day!  I  do  not 
believe  it. 

Certainly  the  demand  for  men  in  the  work  of 
the  kingdom  has  never  been  so  pressing,  so  im- 
perative, as  now.  Life  has  become  fearfully 
strenuous.  Competition  is  intense.  The  busi- 
ness world  is  fevered  with  earnestness.  The 
wheels  of  trade  fairly  smoke  because  of  the  pace 
at  which  things  are  going.  No  laggard,  no  slug- 
gard, no  coward,  can  climb  from  the  valley  to 
the  hilltops  to-day.  With  a  thousand  racers  on 
the  track,  with  all  sorts  of  agitations  in  the  air, 
with  all  manner  of  creeds  and  cliques  and  com- 
binations forcing  the  fight,  with  innumerable 
hands  contending  for  the  prizes  of  life,  there 
is  no  chance  for  the  weak  and  the  willowy,  no 
hope  for  those  who  dally  and  dawdle.  The  spirit 
of  the  age  burns  with  ambition  and  determina- 
tion. Its  cry  is  ^^Do  things."  It  throbs  and 
pulses  with  a  passion  for  achievement.     Men 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  55 

pile  up  fabulous  fortunes  and  become  enor- 
mously wealthy,  not  so  much  because  they  are 
inspired  by  love  of  money,  but  because  they 
enjoy  the  thrill  of  accomplishment,  of  perform- 
ance, of  carrying  out  great  schemes  and  execut- 
ing great  plans. 

Now,  with  such  a  temper,  such  a  spirit  every- 
where else,  even  a  blind  man  can  see  the  quali- 
ties that  are  needed  in  religion.  If  vim  and 
vigor  and  virility;  if  masculine  robustness  and 
sinewy  resolution  and  invincible  force  are  in- 
dispensable on  the  stage  of  the  world,  how  much 
more  on  the  stage  of  Christianity !  It  is  the  last 
place  on  earth  for  the  flabby  and  soft  and  yield- 
ing ;  the  last  place  beneath  the  stars  for  the  list- 
less and  languid  and  lackadaisical.  In  this 
heated,  swinging  rushing  life  of  ours,  in  this 
battle  of  the  Titans  that  is  shaking  the  very 
earth,  in  this  tremendous  grapple  of  antagonistic 
principles,  in  this  unprecedented  conflict  be- 
tween light  and  darkness,  between  belief  and 
unbelief,  between  slippery  expediency  and  stead- 
fast righteousness,  the  kingdom  needs  men  for 
its  extension,  more,  if  possible,  than  ever  before. 
We  repeat  the  prayer  of  the  English  poet,  and 
make  it  our  own  own,  when  he  says ' 


**Give  us  men,  men  from  every  rank, 

Men   of   thought   and  reading,  men   of  light   and   leading, 
Full  and  fresh  and  frank, 

Our  country's  welfare  speeding. 
Men  of  faith  and  not  of  faction, 
Men  of  lofty   aim  and  action. 

Give   us  men,   I  say,   give   us  men. 


56  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

**Give  us  men,  men,  who,  when  the  tempest  gathers, 
Grasp  the  standard  of  their  fathers 

In  the  thickest  of  the  fight. 
Let  the  cowards  cringe  and  falter. 

Men  who  strike  for  home  and  altar  can  defend  the  right. 
True  to  truth,  though  lorn  and  lonely, 
Tender  as  the  brave  are  only. 

Give  us  men,  I  say  again,  give  us  men." 

Or,  as  one  of  our  own  poets  puts  it  with  equal 
pith  and  point  and  power : 

"Men  whom  the  lust  of  office  does  not  kill, 

Men   whom  the   spoils   of   office   cannot  buy, 

******** 

Men  who  have  honor,  men  who  will  not  lie, 

******** 

Tall  men,  sun-crowned,  who  live  above  the  fog 
In  public  duty  and  in  private  thinking." 

Men  of  this  stalwart  type,  with  these  marks 
of  God  upon  them,  are  needed  in  politics.  Our 
own  iron-souled,  oaklike  Theodore  Eoosevelt 
said  recently :  ^  ^  We  shall  never  make  our  repub- 
lic what  it  should  be  until  as  a  people  we  thor- 
oughly understand  and  put  into  practice  the  doc- 
trine that  success  is  abhorrent  if  obtained  by  the 
sacrifice  of  the  fundamental  principles  of 
morality.  The  successful  man,  whether  in  busi- 
ness or  in  politics,  who  has  risen  by  conscience- 
less swindling  of  his  neighbors,  by  deceit  and 
chicanery,  by  unscrupulous  boldness  or  unscru- 
pulous cunning,  stands  toward  society  as  a  dan- 
gerous wild  beast.  .  .  .  Our  standard  of  public 
and  private  conduct  will  never  be  raised  to  the 
proper  level  until  we  make  the  scoundrel  who 
succeeds   feel   the   weight   of   a  hostile   public 


CINOINNATI    CONVENTION  57 

opinion  even  more  strongly  than  the  scoundrel 
who  fails."  For  such  straight  talk  from  the 
lips  and  heart  of  the  first  man  of  the  nation  let 
us  thank  God. 

If  the  kingdom  is  to  push  its  way  into  the 
realm  of  citizenship,  if  it  is  to  touch  the  ballot 
and  touch  the  voter,  and  make  elections  clean 
and  officials  honest,  and  save  us  from  the  shame 
and  the  peril  of  political  fraud,  we  shall  have 
to  have  men  of  the  principle,  of  the  nerve,  of 
the  granite  stuff,  which  Christianity  alone  can 
produce.  If  we  are  to  be  delivered  from  the 
rule  of  the  bottle  and  the  boodler  and  the  boss, 
we  shall  have  to  have  men  with  crucifixion  ma- 
terial in  them,  who  can  walk  up  our  political 
Calvaries  and  do  their  duty  at  the  primaries  and 
at  the  polls  as  representatives  of  the  people. 
This  republic  of  ours  is  founded,  not  upon  privi- 
lege, or  upon  lineage,  or  upon  bank  accounts,  or 
upon  caste,  or  class,  or  blood,  but  upon  manhood, 
and  only  by  manhood  can  it  be  preserved  and 
its  glory  perpetuated.  If  dollars  are  to  be  al- 
lowed to  pave  the  way  to  exalted  civil  position, 
and  the  pocketbook  is  made  the  passport  to 
political  honor,  and  Dives  is  permitted  to  have 
his  way  in  legislative  halls,  we  shall  very  soon 
have  to  write  Ichabod  upon  our  banners  and  con- 
fess that  representative  government  is  a  farce 
and  a  failure.  And  the  only  power  that  can 
save  us  from  this  alternative  is  the  power  of 
Christian  manhood.  The  kingdom  must  go  into 
politics,  as  a  spirit,  as  an  atmosphere,  as  a  regu- 


58  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

lating  and  restraining  conscience.  I  see  no  other 
hope ;  and  if  this  is  done,  it  will  have  to  be  done 
by  the  King's  men. 

Equally  pressing  is  the  demand  in  the  world 
of  business.  We  are  most  of  all  a  trading,  a 
bargain-making,  a  commercial  people.  No  other 
can  compete  with  us  in  buying  and  selling  and 
in  market-place  cleverness.  Our  agents  go 
everywhere,  and  our  wares  and  commodities  are 
advertised  around  the  world.  And  we  are  not 
over-scrupulous  about  our  methods.  To  ^^get 
there '*  is  the  main  thing,  and  too  often  the  only 
thing  considered  worth  while.  Across  the  sea 
we  have  the  reputation  of  being  clever  rather 
than  straight,  tricky  rather  than  true,  keen 
rather  than  honest.  If  this  judgment  is  harsh, 
there  is  certainly  enough  in  the  events  of  yes- 
terday and  to-day  to  give  it  more  warrant  than 
is  pleasant  to  think  about.  The  word  ^' graft'' 
is  distinctly  American ;  it  was  born  here,  and  we 
have  reason  to  blush  for  the  place  of  its  nativity. 
How  our  magazines  and  our  daily  journals  have 
been  packed  with  accounts  of  frauds  and  steal- 
ings and  peculations  on  a  gigantic  scale;  how 
the  president  has  been  appointing  commissions 
to  investigate;  how  the  courts  have  been  un- 
earthing commercial  crookedness,  and  what 
shocking  revelations  have  already  been  made 
is  familiar  to  every  reader  who  keeps  abreast 
of  the  times.  It  was  the  late  United  States 
Senator  Hanna  who  said  that  our  people  are 
money-mad.     Quick  gains  and  fat  dividends — 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  59 

give  us  these  at  any  cost.  Corner  the  market, 
water  the  stock,  pocket  the  bribe,  pinch  the 
poor,  squeeze  the  weak,  filch  from  the  green  and 
gullible,  take  any  road  to  the  land  of  riches — 
only  get  there.  And  so  here  is  another  vast  de- 
partment of  our  modern  life  into  which  the  king- 
dom must  be  extended;  otherwise  we  shall  go 
upon  the  rocks;  we  shall  transmit  only  wreck- 
age to  the  future ;  and  who,  who  is  to  push  this 
extension  if  not  the  King 's  men  1 

Then  close  alongside  is  the  realm  of  labor,  a 
great  yeasting,  seething,  frowning  world  in  it- 
self. Every  schoolboy  knows  how  it  mutters, 
how  it  threatens,  and  how  its  complaints  grow 
louder  and  louder.  In  some  of  them  there  is  jus- 
tice, in  many  of  them  there  is  the  agitator 's  wild 
unreason,  but  the  significant  thing  is  that  they 
are  there.  The  waves  of  discontent  seem  to  roll 
higher  every  year.  King  Demos  is  on  his  feet ; 
he  is  strong  there ;  he  stands  erect,  and  I  know 
of  no  power  that  can  set  him  right  and  keep  him 
right  but  the  power  of  King  Jesus.  How  far  he 
has  drifted  away  from  the  church,  and  from 
organized  Christianity,  needs  no  rehearsing 
here.  We  all  see  it.  We  all  know  it.  Would  to 
God  we  all  tried  to  remedy  it  and  win  him  back. 
He  is  sore  at  the  church.  His  alienation  has 
hardened  into  animosity.  Where  a  little  while 
ago  he  was  simply  inditf  erent,  to-day  he  is  hos- 
tile. He  has  ceased  to  regard  the  church  as  his 
friend  and  thinks  of  it  as  his  enemy.  It  is  a 
serious  matter,   far  more  serious,   I   am  con- 


60  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

vinced,  tlian  either  our  statesmen  or  churchmen 
imagine. 

Here,  then,  is  a  demand  for  men  to  extend  the 
kingdom,  a  demand  more  pressing  than  I  have 
time  to  emphasize.  This  is  what  the  Reverend 
Charles  Stelzle  calls  ''a  man's  job" — to  take  the 
gospel  to  the  men  of  the  shop  and  the  mill  and 
the  mine  and  the  factory.  I  cannot  imagine  any- 
thing more  manly,  anything  requiring  more 
tact,  more  courage,  more  consecration,  more 
brotherly  sympathy,  more  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  call  is  for  men  of  big  hearts  and 
big  brains  and  big  views  of  social  well-being, 
to  have  compassion  upon  the  toiling  masses,  to 
feel  their  sorrows,  their  hardships,  their  soul- 
hunger,  and  go  to  them  with  the  Bread  of  life. 
The  men  of  our  churches  ought  to  do  it.  In  this 
field  there  is  work  enough  for  all  and  more  than 
enough. 

The  laboring  classes  are  not  all  wrong  in 
their  complaints  and  demands.  Sometimes  I 
think  they  are  about  nine  tenths  right.  They 
see  clearly  enough  that  their  industry  is  largely 
exploited  to  fill  the  pockets  of  greed.  They  are 
not  blind  to  the  fact  that  our  present  social 
system,  from  top  to  bottom,  is  built  upon  self- 
interest,  and  a  system  so  founded  and  fostered 
can  have  nothing  in  common  with  the  kingdom 
of  God.  They  understand  very  thoroughly  that 
the  brotherhood  of  Jesus  Christ  cannot  mix 
with  the  brotherhood  of  plunder  and  extortion. 
They  are  struggling  for  justice,  struggling  up 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  61 

out  of  their  lowliness,  up  out  of  their  valleys, 
sometimes  no  doubt  by  crooked  paths,  but  they 
are  struggling  up,  and  if  the  tremendous  pathos 
of  their  struggle  elicits  no  sympathy  from  the 
church,  it  is  because  it  has  ceased  to  represent 
the  compassion  of  the  Son  of  God.  If  the 
storms  that  ever  and  anon  break  over  our 
industrial  Galilee,  threatening  the  very  exist- 
ence of  our  institutions,  are  to  be  calmed, 
the  King's  men  in  our  own  church  and  in  all 
the  churches  must  come  into  fraternal,  helpful 
touch  with  the  men  who  dig  and  delve  and 
hammer  and  build  and  do  the  groundwork  of 
our  civilization. 

So  the  problem  of  the  city.  Here  in  these 
great  centers  all  sorts  of  dangerous  elements 
are  at  work.  Here  anarchy  broods,  and  breeds 
and  blusters.  Here  socialism  fans  the  fires  of 
discontent.  Here  settle  and  fester  the  dregs  of 
European  immigration.  Here  rum  tramples 
upon  law  and  laughs  at  constituted  authority. 
Here  crime  reaps  its  greatest  harvests,  and  here 
the  criminal  classes  are  mostly  recruited.  The 
cities  rule  the  country,  and  if  these  cities  are  not 
made  clean  and  honest  by  God-fearing  men,  the 
republic  will  never  see  its  second  centennial. 
And  if  the  kingdom  is  to  be  extended  into  these 
nerve  centers  of  the  nation,  if  it  is  to  set  up  a 
reign  of  righteousness,  and  compel  the  forces 
of  darkness  and  evil  to  flee  away,  it  must  have 
the  loyal  and  fearless  and  earnest  service  of  the 
King's  men. 


62  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Then  there  is  the  problem  of  the  saloon,  grow- 
ing in  magnitude,  its  menace  increasing  every 
year.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  speak  of  it 
extravagantly.  No  need  to  describe  the  woe  it 
produces,  the  misery  it  causes,  the  crime  it  be- 
gets. All  that  is  a  familiar  story.  Politicians, 
as  a  rule,  dare  not  touch  it.  Statesmen  pass  it 
by.  The  senator  or  congressman  who  should 
venture  to  say  a  word  against  it  in  the  National 
Congress  would  be  laughed  at  by  his  colleagues 
as  a  man  without  prudence  or  political  sense. 
The  president  in  his  message  about  a  year  ago 
said  some  strong  things  about  the  protection  of 
Alaskan  seals  from  poachers  on  the  sea,  but 
about  the  protection  of  American  children  and 
youth  from  the  blight  and  bane  of  the  liquor 
traffic  he  was  silent.  It  seems  strange,  to  some 
of  us  it  seems  unaccountable.  The  day  will  come 
in  a  more  enlightened  age  when  the  people  will 
look  back  upon  our  indifference  to  this  evil  with 
amazement.  Thank  God  for  the  stand  our 
brethren  are  taking  in  the  South.  The  death 
knell  of  the  open  saloon  is  heard  in  Dixie.  The 
music  of  a  new  abolition  is  sounding  from  the 
Ohio  to  the  Gulf.  Let  us  pray  that  the  movement 
may  find  its  way  into  the  North  and  East  and 
West  until  wherever  our  flag  flies  we  shall  have 
freedom  from  the  bondage  of  rum.  Surely  the 
kingdom  needs  extending  into  this  region.  This 
giant  should  be  laid  in  the  dust,  but  it  will  never 
be  done  until  we  have  more  Davids  at  the  sling, 
more  of  the  King's  men  who  are  willing  and 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  63 

eager  to  go  up  against  this  swaggering  enemy 
of  the  living  God. 

And  what  shall  I  say  of  the  church  and  the 
church's  incomparable  enterprise  of  evangeliz- 
ing the  world  ?  I  wish  I  could  speak  here  as  the 
subject  demands.  If  ever  the  tongue  of  eloquence 
is  needed  it  is  when  we  touch  upon  this 
theme.  All  other  themes  pale  before  it.  The 
programs  of  statesmen,  the  schemes  of  finan- 
ciers, the  discoveries  of  science,  the  achieve- 
ments of  literature,  are  nothing  compared 
with  this.  Think  of  every  race  and  kindred 
and  tribe  and  nation  singing  the  songs  of 
Zion  and  laying  homage  at  the  feet  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Think  of  the  whole  earth  marching  to 
the  music  of  Calvary.  Think  of  the  millions  of 
all  the  continents  and  all  the  islands  of  the  sea 
bringing  their  crowns  and  their  insignia  of 
royalty,  and  placing  them  upon  the  head  that 
was  crowned  with  thorns.  Think  of  them  sing- 
ing until  their  song  breaks  against  the  throne 
of  God: 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name." 

Get  a  vision  of  it,  broaden  your  view,  push  it 
out  and  out  until  you  see  the  banner  of  the  cross 
floating  everywhere  above  every  other  banner, 
and  it  will  thrill  you.  It  will  stir  your  blood  if 
you  have  any  love  for  Calvary  in  you  at  all.  If 
our  eyes  saw,  our  hearts  would  burn,  our  pockets 
would  open  and  our  hands  reach  out  in  service. 
We  do  not,  because  we  see  not.    If  we  had  the 


64  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

vision  of  Jesus  we  would  stand  on  the  platform 
of  Jesus,  and  our  love  and  our  ministry  and  our 
efforts  would  go  out  to  every  creature. 

Believe  me,  young  men;  believe  me,  middle- 
aged  men;  believe  me,  old  men,  this  work  of 
zoning  the  earth  with  the  light  of  the  gospel,  and 
spreading  the  principles  of  the  cross  from  pole 
to  pole,  is  no  woman's  matter  only,  no  Sunday- 
school  matter  mainly,  no  sentimental  side  issue, 
but  something  that  appeals  to  all  that  is  knightly, 
and  all  that  is  heroic,  and  all  that  is  manly  in 
manly  men.  In  this  unparalleled  work,  in  this 
enterprise  that  enlists  the  heart  of  the  Son  of 
God,  and  upon  which  all  heaven  looks  with  eager 
interest,  there  is  need  of  the  best  brain  and  the 
best  brawn  of  the  land ;  there  is  need  of  bullion, 
too,  and  a  lot  of  it. 

Look  at  the  nations  and  listen  and  you  will 
hear  God's  clock  striking  the  hour  of  advance. 
The  voice  that  calls  from  the  skies  says,  ^  ^  Men  to 
the  front,  ^Ye  that  are  men  now  serve  him  in 
this  his  glorious  day. '  ' '  The  doors  are  all  open ; 
the  fences  are  all  down.  Now  is  the  time  for 
occupation.  Never  since  the  day  of  Pentecost 
were  there  such  opportunities  for  Christian  men 
as  to-day.  Somebody  has  remarked,  that  if  any- 
one were  to  suggest  the  sending  of  women  to 
defend  the  nation's  flag  in  the  Philippines,  or 
in  Hawaii,  or  in  Porto  Kico,  he  would  be  hissed 
into  silence  and  oblivion.  But  what  of  that  other 
flag,  crimson  with  the  blood  of  Calvary,  the 
s^onbol  of  eternal  love  ?    Shall  our  sisters  be  sent 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  65 

to  defend  it  in  China  and  Japan  and  Africa 
while  the  men  remain  at  home  unconcerned  and 
unashamed?  Oh,  that  God  would  arouse  our 
Christian  men  and  awaken  them  to  the  fact  that 
they  are  the  King's  men,  and  show  them  that 
they  are  called  to  push  the  frontiers  of  the  king- 
dom and  extend  them  out  and  out  to  the  farther- 
most rim  of  the  world.  When  that  awakening 
comes  the  church  at  home  will  arise  and  shine 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  will  rise  upon  her. 


V 

WEDNESDAY  MORNING 


SONS  OF  GOD  WITH  POWER 

BY  REV.  W.  H.  WRAY  BOYLE,  D.   D. 

Jesus,  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  word, 
is  ^*the  Son  of  God  with  power.''  The  word 
*  *  power ' '  is  used  no  fewer  than  seventy-six  times 
in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures  with  reference 
to  the  attribute  of  power  in  Christ 's  character  as 
^^the  firstborn  among  many  brethren,"  or  with 
reference  to  the  possession  of  that  power  by  the 
Christian,  and  everywhere  the  secret  of  its  exer- 
cise is  found  in  the  relation  of  two  great  words 
to  each  other — communion  and  communication. 

There  must  be  close  communion  with  God  be- 
fore there  can  be  large  communication  to  men. 
Meditation,  deep-going,  high-reaching  medita- 
tion, is,  in  large  measure,  a  lost  art  of  modern 
religious  life.  Meditation  is  the  staying  of  the 
mind  on  God,  as  the  mathematician  fixes  his  mind 
on  a  problem,  as  the  astronomer  fixes  his  mind 
on  a  star.  When  David  said,  *  *  I  will  hear  what 
God  the  Lord  will  speak,"  he  had  made  such 
allotment  of  his  time  as  left  parentheses  for 
secret  talks  with  God.     When  Elijah,  and  the 

66 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  67 

Baptist,  and  Jesus,  and  Paul  went  voluntarily 
into  retreat,  the  silences  were  made  vocal  with 
divine  voices.  Singular  visions  inspired  them 
to  singular  missions.  They  communed  with  God 
in  *^the  secret  place  of  his  presence,''  and  then 
they  communicated  for  God. 

The  seats  of  meditation  have  been  in  all  ages 
the  seats  of  the  mighty.  Solitude,  with  God 
present,  is  always  the  mother  country  of  the 
strong.  Those  who  have  done  most  for  the 
world  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  movements  of 
the  ages  have  lived  much  apart  from  it.  Wit- 
ness Moses,  forty  years  in  the  desert  in  fellow- 
ship with  God,  and  getting  ready  for  masterful 
service  in  the  next  fifty.  Witness  young  Daniel, 
governor  of  seventy  provinces,  taking  time  to 
open  his  windows  to  the  fresh  air  of  heaven  in 
every  day  of  life,  and  becoming  strong  enough 
to  snap  his  finger  in  the  face  of  kings.  Witness 
John  Milton,  gazing  raptly  upon  the  canvases 
of  sacred  art  in  Italy  for  nineteen  years  before 
he  gave  to  the  world  his  immortal  epic.  Wit- 
ness Savonarola,  kneeling  at  the  altar  in  Flor- 
ence for  hours,  without  the  semblance  of  the 
movement  of  a  muscle,  and  in  a  later  day  pro- 
claiming the  spiritual  emancipation  from  weak- 
ening idolatry  of  the  church  he  loved.  AVitness 
young  Evans,  of  Wales,  spending,  like  his  Mas- 
ter, whole  nights  in  prayer,  and  then  stirring  the 
whole  world  by  the  spirit  of  his  fervent  evangel- 
ism. It  is  in  every  instance  ''The  lesson  of  the 
trysquare,"  as  the  sainted  Maltbie  D.  Babcock 


68  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

used  to  say.  AVe  must  stand  at  the  junction  of 
the  two  lines,  the  line  reaching  up  and  the  line 
reaching  out ;  we  must  go  up  along  the  line  of  the 
perpendicular,  prevailingly  to  God,  if  we  would 
go  out  along  the  line  of  the  horizontal,  effec- 
tively, to  men ;  we  must  have  power  with  God  for 
men  if  we  would  have  power  with  men  for  God ; 
we  must  cool  our  burning  brows  amid  the  tense- 
ness and  tiredness  of  a  matter-of-fact  world,  by 
opening  up  windows  that  look  to  eternity,  but 
we  must  never  let  meditation  become  the  reverie 
of  a  daydream.  Jesus  had  a  transfigured  Her- 
mon  and  delightful  company,  but  in  the  line  of 
perspective  lay  Calvary  and  self-obliteration 
and  salvation.    We  must  reverently  sing, 

'' Nothing  in  my  hand  I  bring, 
Simply  to  thy  cross  I  cling ; ' ' 

but  our  action  becomes  little  better  than  the  rap- 
ture of  idolatry  if  we  only  ^  ^  cling ' '  there ;  hands 
touching  the  sacred  wood  upon  which  there  were 
nailed  the  ^* wounded  hands''  of  sacrificial  love 
ought  to  be  ministering  hands.  We  must  have 
bended  knees,  but,  if  the  bended  knees  be  obedi- 
ent knees,  they  are  sure  to  become  bended  en- 
ergies. 

So,  then,  it  would  seem  that  the  great  question 
at  the  outset  is  the  old  question,  ^'Have  ye  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  believed,"  and, 
if  so,  have  ye  proof  of  possession  on  its  way  to 
communication  ? 

One  day  I  walked  through  the  Edinburgh  In- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  69 

firmary,  and  the  doctor  appointed  to  guide  me 
half  whispered,  as  we  went:  ^'Anaemic  condi- 
tion," '' Creeping  paralysis,"  '' Nervous  dys- 
pepsia," ^'Locomotor  ataxia;"  and  when  I  came 
out  I  said  to  my  guide,  '  ^  I  have  known  a  church 
with  all  those  people  in  it. '  *  It  took  six  hundred 
members  a  whole  year  of  fifty-two  weeks  to 
bring  eleven  souls  to  a  confession  of  Christ :  the 
prayer  meeting  was  suffering  from  *^  creeping 
paralysis, ' '  and  four  fifths  of  the  men  seemed  to 
be  suifering  from  ''locomotor  ataxia"  of  the 
soul.  One  day  I  saw  a  beautiful  engine  at  an  ex- 
position, but  it  was  on  a  table,  not  on  tracks.  It 
was  only  three  feet  six  inches  long,  and  two  feet 
high,  and  when  I  said,  ''Wliat  is  this  for!"  the 
man  in  charge  said,  ''Simply  on  exhibition." 
And  I  have  seen  ministers  like  that — decent,  re- 
spectable men,  but  with  no  saving  lines  upon 
which  to  operate,  and,  apparently,  no  power 
because  they  had  put  their  old  sermons  on  sin 
and  the  cross  and  conversion  and  the  judgment 
day  into  the  wastebasket,  to  make  room  for  es- 
says on  ethics  and  aesthetics,  forgetting  that  the 
old  affirmation  is  still  the  most  up-to-date  thing 
in  the  world,  ' '  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation 
to  every  one  that  believeth. "  One  day,  at  the 
foot  of  Pike's  Peak,  I  came  across  a  village  suf- 
fering from  water  famine.  Inquiring  the  cause, 
a  workman  ceased  digging  in  the  direction  of  a 
water  pipe  to  say,  "Frozen  up  at  the  point  of 
communication  with  the  main  pipe."    I  knew 


70  THE   PBESBYTEBIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

the  trouble  was  not  in  the  line  of  the  perpendicu- 
lar. Like  the  crowding  kindnesses  of  God,  the 
water  was  pressing  down  over  four  thousand 
feet  of  pipe  from  the  heart  of  the  hills,  like 
the  invitation  of  Jesus,  ^'If  any  man  thirst,  let 
him  come  unto  me,  and  drink. ' '  The  block  was 
in  the  line  of  the  horizontal,  from  the  source  of 
supply  outward,  and  I  have  seen  churches  suf- 
fering as  that  village  suffered — frozen  up,  and, 
therefore,  without  the  grace  of  communication. 

God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  in  Presby- 
terianism,  except  as  Presbyterianism  has  a  dy- 
namic gospel  with  a  redeeming  cross  magnetic 
in  it,  and  a  new  Pentecost  in  every  brotherhood 
for  empowered  men. 

We  ring  it  out  from  Cincinnati  to  the  nation, 
**sons  of  God  with  power,''  because  we  have 
something  inalienable  in  possession — something 
more  reliable  than  banks,  more  stable  than  the 
world's  securities.  ^^Sons  of  God  with  power," 
and  with  the  fullness  of  it  as  realizable  as  God 's 
love,  if  we  but  keep  the  initial  emphasis  on  three 
things : 

The  Spirit  and  the  individual, 
The  Spirit  and  the  altar. 
The  Spirit  and  the  witness. 

(a)  The  Spirit  and  the  individual  is  a  more 
important  thing  than  the  Spirit  and  the  conven- 
tion, because  the  unit  of  moral  measurement  is 
the  individual  soul.     A  single  silent  cell  in  an 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  71 

electric  battery  is  said  to  negative  the  power  of 
the  whole. 

Down  across  spiritual  history  we  catch  the 
assertion  of  the  individual — the  individual 
apart  from  the  world  and  closeted  with  God. 
Listen  to  Moses,  ^*Who  am  I  that  thou  should 'st 
send  me  r '  to  David,  *  ^  0  God,  my  heart  is  fixed ; ' ' 
to  Isaiah ;  ^  ^  Here  am  I :  send  me ; '  Ho  Paul,  ^ '  x\nd 
if  I  be  offered  upon  the  sacrifice  and  service 
of  your  faith,  I  joy  and  rejoice  with  you  all ;''  to 
Jesus,  **And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth, 
will  draw  all  men  unto  me;^*  to  Augustine, 
^  ^  Teach  me,  0  Lord  God,  to  bend  the  crooked  to 
the  straight,  my  will  to  thy  will;''  to  Luther,  **I 
cannot  do  otherwise,  so  help  me  God ; "  to  Knox, 
*^Give  me  Scotland  or  I  die;''  to  AAHiitfield, 
^'When  I  felt  the  hands  of  ordination  upon  me, 
I  was  on  God's  altar  for  time  and  eternity;"  to 
Rutherford,  *^I  think  of  thee,  my  Jesus,  until 
every  stone  in  my  dungeon  cell  glitters  like  a 
diamond ; "  to  Tholuck,  ^ '  I  have  but  one  passion 
and  it  is  he,  the  Christ;"  to  Earl  Cairns,  ''I 
belong  to  God;"  to  Daniel  Webster,  *'I  must 
answer  to  God;"  to  Emerson,  *^Arm  me,  0  God, 
with  incessant  affirmations ; "  to  Charles  Wagner, 
'*I  follow  Christ,  because  I  hear  him  speak  a 
natural  language,  because  I  hear  beating  in  his 
heart,  the  heart  of  all;"  to  Phillips  Brooks,  '^I 
would  rather  live  during  the  next  twenty  years, 
than  in  any  other  twenty  years  of  the  world's 
history,  there  will  be  more  power  for  God  in 
it;"  to  Moody,  **I  will  never  be  sorry  that  I 


72  THE    PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

had  the  privilege  of  preaching  Christ  during 
those  early  years,  but  I  shall  never  cease  to  be 
sorry  that  I  preached  so  many  years  without 
the  power." 

And,  as  you  listen,  your  own  intensity  will  melt 
down  all  other  individual  convictions  into  a 
great  confession  like  this : 

''My  heart  is  fixed,  eternal  God, 
And  fixed  on  thee; 
Now  my  immortal  choice  is  made, 
'Tis  Christ  for  me." 

It  is  simply  consecration.  It  is  the  believer's 
definite  act;  an  act  not  so  much  of  the  emotion 
as  it  is  of  a  surrendered  will.  It  is  the  quality 
of  life  brought  into  religion,  which  in  business 
and  profession  we  call  absorption.  It  is  the 
fine  contagion  of  enthusiasm  for  being  masterful 
in  the  things  we  undertake.  It  is  a  sense  of  dis- 
content which  a  true  soul  feels  over  the  best  of 
yesterday's  achievements,  because  a  new  day  is 
coming  with  its  new  chance.  It  is  the  reso- 
lute enthronement  of  God  in  everything  that 
has  to  do  with  life,  be  it  the  life  of  the  min- 
istering priest  of  God,  or  the  life  of  the  market 
place. 

It  is  not  a  formal  wrapping  of  one's  self  in 
some  mystic  web  of  monastic  seclusion  or  hazy 
aspiration,  and  then  coming  out  into  the  open 
of  the  world  to  say  in  a  spirit,  which  illy  com- 
ports with  the  lowliness  of  the  cross,  *' Behold, 
now  I  am  consecrated. ' '  In  its  truest  definition 
it  is  life  made  heroic  by  touching  Christ's,  and 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  73 

then  going  out  into  the  great  world  of  crush  and 
crisis  where  God  and  dying  men  are,  to  live  a 
life,  even  amid  the  commonplace  things,  at  once 
helpful  and  holy.  It  is  a  life  made  available  for 
good  in  all  the  days  through  the  lift  of  this 
strengthening  consciousness,  *'I  am  not  my  own, 
but  bought  with  a  price. '  ^ 

(b)  The  Spirit  and  the  altar  is,  for  the  indi^ 
vidual  or  the  community,  the  Spirit  in  interces- 
sion for  power.  For  child  or  for  grandsire  it 
suggests  a  footstool  and  a  throne,  a  footstool  of 
confessed  need  and  a  throne  of  power.  Pra^^er 
may  be  the  stillness  of  the  soul,  or  the  struggle 
of  the  soul,  or  the  shout  of  the  soul  with  hallelu- 
jahs in  it,  but  whatever  the  definition,  it  is,  as 
Tennyson  has  it,  ^ '  The  hand  of  man  upon  the  arm 
of  God. ' '  I  do  not  know  what  your  idea  of  faith 
may  be.  It  may  be  simply  the  look  of  a  contrite 
soul  to  Christ  crucified,  or  it  may  be  intuition 
conquering  circumstances,  or  it  may  be  *'the 
sense  of  the  Unseen, '^  but  I  like  the  definition 
of  the  old  Puritan,  who  said,  ''Faith  to  me  is 
the  certitude  that  I  find  in  Jesus  Christ  whatever 
I  need.''  For  the  home,  or  the  church,  or  so- 
ciety beyond  them,  prayer  is  a  prerequisite. 
One  of  the  saddest  testimonies  ever  borne  by  one 
man  of  another  was  this  in  my  hearing,  ' '  He  let 
his  hand  slip  out  of  God's.''  A  minister  who 
sinned  against  his  high  embassage  later  made 
this  confession,  ''My  soul-life  raveled  at  the 
point  where  I  ceased  to  pray,  because  there  were 
some  things  of  which  I  could  not  speak  to  God." 


74  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

A  business  man  has  this  practice,  as  he  described 
it,  ^  ^  closing  my  office  door,  and  getting  into  com- 
pany with  God  before  turning  to  do  business 
with  men,"  and  the  church  which  does  not  ac- 
centuate the  importance  of  the  meeting  for 
prayer  is  a  church  losing  power. 

(c)  The  restored  altar  and  the  empowered 
witness  come  together  just  as  surely  as  the 
upper-room  prayer  meeting  preceded  Pentecost 
and  power.  The  word  *  ^witness''  in  some  form 
(testimony,  testify,  witnessing)  occurs  no  fewer 
than  twenty-four  times  in  The  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  In  the  enduement  for  power  at  the 
beginning  the  word  has  it  that  the  Spirit  de- 
scended in  ^ tongues  like  as  of  fire,''  resting 
*  ^  upon  each  of  them, ' '  and  the  tongues  at  Pente- 
cost were  witnessing  tongues.  There  are  two 
things  about  a  witness — knowledge  and  testi- 
mony. He  must  positively  know  and  then  cour- 
ageously tell.  The  ancient  Egyptians  brought 
votive  offerings  to  the  pear  tree,  because  the 
fruit  of  it  was  in  the  shape  of  man's  heart,  and 
its  leaf  in  the  shape  of  man's  tongue;  the  one 
being  the  emblem  of  love,  the  other  the  emblem 
of  love's  expression.  A  patriot  is  a  patriot,  not 
because  he  sees  to  it  that  some  one  unfurls  the 
flag  on  national  holidays,  but  because  he  is  the 
impersonation  of  his  own  motto,  ^'My  country 
first,  my  coat  of  mail  and  undivided  heart. ' '  To 
be  a  Christian  in  an  age  like  this,  when  the 
mighty  surge  of  the  world-spirit  beats  up  to  our 
feet  like  an  invading  sea,  is  not  to  lie  with  half 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  75 

purposeless  will  in  ^'tlie  kind  arms  of  God"  and 
talk  sweetly  about  privilege;  it  is  to  get  into  a 
path  of  God's  setting  somewhere  and  communi- 
cate power. 

The  witnessing  church  of  the  future  will  be 
the  church  with  power.  The  question  is  not  of 
great  service.  Glad  service  is  even  better  than 
great  service,  if  that  cannot  be  great  too.  In 
this  strenuous  conflict  of  light  with  darkness 
and  truth  with  error,  and  love  with  hate,  the 
steadier  motion  and  the  unquenchable  faith 
are  only  for  him  who  as  a  ^^good  soldier  of 
Jesus  Christ"  fronts  the  battle,  not  for  him 
who  flees  it. 

The  question  is  not  of  ability;  God  will  take 
care  of  that.  The  question  is  one  of  the  sur- 
rendered life,  of  the  gladly  offered  service.  A 
soldier  can  be  excused  for  almost  anything  other 
than  sleeping  in  the  ranks.  ^^Sons  of  God  with 
power, ' '  be  sure  of  the  leadership  of  the  Captain, 
then  ^  ^  forward  march ' '  to  victory ! 

Thy  humility,    Lord    Jesus, 

Thy  fullness,  Lord  Jesus, 

Thy  serviceableness,  Lord  Jesus. 

Mr.  Holt. — It  is  necessary  to  enter  now  upon 
the  business  of  the  day.  Let  us  remember  that 
even  the  routine  work  of  the  convention  is  the 
King's  business.  I  see  we  are  to  have  a  pleas- 
ure that  we  did  not  anticipate.  It  had  been 
thought  until  this  morning  that  Mr.  Hanna 
would  not  be  able  to  be  with  us,  but  he  is  here. 
Let  me  tell  you  what  he  said.     He  meant  to 


76  THE    PKESBYTEKIAN    BROTHEEHOOD 

come,  planned  to  come,  but  finally,  under  strong 
pressure,  notified  us  that  he  could  not  come ;  and 
now  this  morning  he  says  he  ^'just  could  not 
stay  away." 

Me.  Hanna. — I  certainly  thank  you,  gentle- 
men, for  this  very  kind  expression  of  your  in- 
terest. I  cannot  tell  you  the  great  pleasure  and 
blessing  it  is  to  me  to  be  privileged  to  be  with 
you  here  to-day. 

Me.  Holt. — Illness  and  business  cares  have  in- 
terfered with  a  few  of  our  speakers  and  leaders, 
although  some  of  our  fears  of  disappointment 
have  been  relieved.  But  I  am  sure  you  will  all 
sympathize  with  Dr.  John  Willis  Baer — who 
was  to  lead  this  conference — in  the  situation  in 
which  he  finds  himself.  Letters  and  telegrams 
in  the  last  two  weeks  have  made  known  to  us 
that  his  oldest  son,  after  apparently  recovering 
from  a  low  fever,  has  had  a  serious  relapse,  so 
that  to-day,  perhaps  as  we  sit  here,  the  lad  is 
undergoing  an  operation,  with  promise,  how- 
ever, of  successful  results,  as  a  telegram  yester- 
day indicates.  I  know  our  prayers  and  sym- 
pathy will  be  with  Dr.  Baer  and  his  family,  and 
our  disappointment,  of  course,  will  not  enter  into 
consideration. 

"VVe  are  very  fortunate  in  having  as  his 
substitute,  Mr.  Nolan  R.  Best,  editor  of  the 
Interior,  one  of  the  great  papers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  to  whom  it  is  now  my 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  77 

pleasure  to  turn  over  the  conduct  of  this  con- 
ference. 

Mk.  Best. — Friends,  I  hope  you  understand 
that  we  are  trying  an  experiment  this  morning 
— undertaking  something  that  has  never  before 
been  done  in  a  great  national  Presbyterian  meet- 
ing. We  are  going  to  have  a  conference,  a  ses- 
sion of  the  kind  that  we  have  been  hearing  about 
for  a  good  many  years  as  the  ideal  for  an  assem- 
bly or  a  convention.  Men  have  complained  that 
the  ''floor"  never  gets  a  chance.  Now  we  are 
going  to  find  out  whether  the  floor  can  use  a 
chance  when  it  gets  it.  In  this  conference  there 
will  be  absolute  freedom  for  every  man  in  it. 
Some  of  you  have  complained,  too,  that  matters 
of  a  practical  nature  are  not  given  their  right 
place  in  convention  programs;  that  platform 
speakers  are  too  theoretic.  Now,  we  are  going  to 
have  something  practical  this  morning.  No  one 
will  be  allowed  to  make  anything  but  a  practical 
speech — and  not  very  much  of  that.  The  thing 
we  are  after  is  a  real,  brotherly  conference, 
bringing  our  various  ideas  together  to  see  what 
they  will  mean  in  the  development  of  other 
ideas. 

Yet,  while  this  conference  will  be  practical, 
you  will  notice  that  it  is  nevertheless  funda- 
mental— about  principles.  We  will  get  to 
methods  to-morrow,  but  we  want  to  know  this 
morning  what  our  principles  are.  Do  not  make 
the   mistake   of  thinking   that   principles   are 


78  THE    PEESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

idealistic;  principles  are  practical.  You  cannot 
do  anything  in  any  line  of  work  without  know- 
ing why  you  are  doing  it  and  what  your  guiding 
ideas  are. 

There  will  be  many  talks  but  only  one  real 
speech  in  this  hour,  and  that  by  a  man  who  was 
one  of  the  first  to  conceive  the  Brotherhood  idea ; 
a  man  who  had  faith  enough  in  the  idea  to  push 
it,  and  who  has  made  a  great  study  of  the  forms 
and  principles  of  Brotherhood  work,  Eev.  E. 
R.  Bigger,  Ph.D.,  of  Massillon,  Ohio,  who  will 
make  the  first  address  of  this  meeting. 


VI 

PRINCIPLES  AND  FOEMS  OF  BROTHER- 
HOOD ORGANIZATION 

by  rev.  r.  r.  bigger,  ph.  d. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Presbyterian  Brothers  : — 
I  am  glad  that  a  large  place  has  been  given 
in  this  convention  to  practical  conferences.  Our 
churches  are  pretty  thoroughly  imbued  with  the 
Brotherhood  spirit,  the  men  are  eager  to  take 
up  the  work,  but  the  one  question  which  is 
troubling  many  earnest  minds  is :  what  can  we 
do  and  hoiv  shall  we  do  in  order  that  the  Brother- 
hood may  be  a  real  power  as  a  national  and  a 
local  force  in  reaching  the  hearts  and  lives  of 
our  fellow-men  all  around  us.  There  are  thou- 
sands of  good  men  in  our  churches  who  hold 
no  official  position  in  the  church,  who  want  to 
do  good,  and  who  are  simply  hungry  for  ideas. 
They  are  thoroughly  convinced  that  if  we  want 
men  in  our  churches  we  must  win  them;  if  we 
want  them  to  be  interested  in  the  temporal  and 
eternal  salvation  of  men  we  must  interest  them ; 
if  we  want  our  men  to  be  useful,  we  must  use 
them ;  that  if  we  would  teach  our  men  to  practice 
the  real,  unselfish  principles  of  brotherhood  we 
must  have  a  Brotherhood  in  the  church,  and  not 

79 


80  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

compel  our  men  to  seek  fraternity  outside  of  the 
church.  In  other  words  thousands  of  our  men 
believe  that  the  church  ought  to  be  interested 
enough  in  men  to  authorize  and  sanction  an 
order  or  fraternity  within  the  church,  and  for 
this  reason  they  hail  with  joy  the  Presbyterian 
Brotherhood.  Believing  all  of  this,  they  are 
now  calling  for  the  tools  and  instructions  as  to 
how  to  use  them.  The  greatest  work  now  before 
the  church  is  to  get  the  tools  into  the  hands  of 
the  men,  with  clear  instructions  as  to  how  to  use 
them. 

^^  Principles  and  Forms  of  Brotherhood  Or- 
ganization.'' This  subject  comes  under  two 
heads :  First,  the  Brotherhood  in  general ; 
second,  the  Brotherhood  in  the  local  church. 

Now  as  to  the  Brotherhood  in  general,  I  am 
thoroughly  convinced  that  there  ought  to  be 
some  things  in  common  with  every  Presbyterian 
Brotherhood  in  America.  While  it  has  been  the 
policy  of  the  movement  from  the  beginning  to 
avoid  hard  and  fast  rules,  stereotyped  forms  of 
constitution,  etc.,  there  should  be  a  common 
button  for  all,  a  common  form  of  application 
for  membership,  a  common  membership  card  and 
a  common  form  of  expressing  loyalty  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church  and  the  local  Session. 
These  things  are  necessary  for  our  unity  as  a 
world-wide  Brotherhood,  to  make  mutual  recog- 
nition easy,  and  to  furnish  a  method  of  dismiss- 
ing members  from  one  chapter  of  the  Brother- 
hood to  another. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  81 

Now  the  common  object  which  should  be  em- 
bodied in  every  local  constitution  may  be  ex- 
pressed in  the  following  language : 

OBJECT 

The  sole  object  of  the  Brotherhood  is  the 
spread  of  Christ's  Kingdom  among  men  by  es- 
tablishing fraternal  and  social  fellowship  and 
denominational  fealty;  by  the  mutual  improve- 
ment of  its  members  spiritually,  intellectually, 
and  socially ;  and  by  Bible  study,  personal  serv- 
ice and  assistance.  If  in  addition  to  this,  com- 
mon principles  are  desired,  the  following  are 
brief  and  to  the  point : 

PRINCIPLES 

We  accept  Jesus  Christ  as  our  commander 
and  leader.  We  declare  our  faith  in  the  Word 
of  God  and  our  loyalty  to  the  church,  and  the 
brotherhood  of  man. 

THE  BUTTON 

Now  for  the  purpose  of  mutual  recognition 
and  as  a  means  of  introduction,  a  common  Pres- 
byterian Brotherhood  button  is  very  essential. 
These  buttons  should  be  worn  to  meetings  of 
Presbytery,  Synod  and  General  Assembly;  to 
religious  conventions  of  all  kinds,  and  to  church, 
Sunday  school  and  Brotherhood  meetings.  In 
fact  they  should  be  worn  all  the  time,  especially 
in  traveling.  How  often  would  we  discover 
friends  and  agreeable  traveling  companions  on 


82  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  trolley  ear,  in  railroad  trains,  in  hotels  and 
other  places  if  this  button  were  worn  by  all  of 
our  Presbyterian  men. 

APPLICATION  CARD 

I  also  believe  a  universal  application  card  for 
membership  in  our  Brotherhoods  would  be  a 
good  thing.  We  have  found  it  a  good  thing  be- 
cause it  states  in  a  measure  what  a  church 


PRESBYTERIAN  BROTHERHOOD 

APPLICATION   FOR   MEMBERSHIP 

Believing  in  the  Fatherhood  of  God,  the  Saviourhood 
of  Christ,  and  the  Brotherhood  of  Man,  and  approving 
of  ihe  objects  and  principles  of 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN  BROTHERHOOD, 

I  hereby  ask  to  be  received  into  its  membership,  promis- 
ing that  so  long  as  I  am  a  member  thereof  I  will  be 
loyal  to  the  constitution. 

Name 

Address 

Applicant  received — Bate 

ATTEST : 

Fresident. 

Secretary. 


brotherhood  fundamentally  stands  for,  and  any 
man  who  signs  such  an  application  virtually 
declares  in  advance  that  he,  too,  stands 
for  these  fundamentals.     Here  is  the  form  of 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  83 

application  used  in  Chapter  No.  1,  of  Massilion, 
Ohio. 

Yon  will  notice  that  by  signing  this  card  the 
candidate  for  membership  virtually  pledges  his 
loyalty  to  the  constitution,  which  is  equivalent 
to  signing  the  constitution.  It  is  taken  for 
granted  that  the  constitution  is  very  simple  and 
that  the  applicant  has  had  an  opportunity  to  read 
it  over. 

I  have  been  asked  frequently,  ^ '  Do  you  have  a 
form  of  initiation  or  reception! '^  I  answer 
**Yes,''  and  I  believe  that  it  should  be  made  so 
impressive  that  a  man  will  realize  that  he  is 
joining  something  worth  while.  I  now  submit 
a  form  used  by  our  own  Brotherhood.  It  is 
understood  that  the  application  has  been  pre- 
sented by  the  chairman  of  the  membership  com- 
mittee and  accepted  by  a  vote  of  the  Brother- 
hood. 

Form  of  Initiation  or  Reception  into  the 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood 

The  candidate  having  signed  an  application 
card  for  membership,  and  having  been  recom- 
mended by  the  membership  committee,  and  hav- 
ing been  received  by  a  vote  of  the  Brotherhood, 
shall  be  initiated  into  full  membership,  using  the 
following 

FORM 

1.  The  chaplain  shall  take  his  place  at  a  desk 
or  table  on  which  rests  the  open  Bible  in  the 


84  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

center  of  the  room.  The  members  of  the 
Brotherhood  shall  form  a  wide  circle  round 
about  him. 

2.  While  the  chairman  of  the  membership 
committee  conducts  the  candidate  to  a  point 
within  the  circle  near  to  the  chaplain,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Brotherhood  shall  sing : 

"Onward,   Christian  soldiers, 

Marching  as  to  war. 
With  the  cross  of  Jesus 

Going  on  before: 
Christ,   the  royal  Master, 

Leads   against   the   foe; 
Forward  into  battle 

See  his  banners  go. 

Chorus : 

''Onward,   Christian  soldiers, 
Marching  as  to  war, 
With  the  cross  of  Jesus 
Going  on  before. 

''Like  a  mighty  army 

Moves  the   church  of  God; 
Brothers,  we  are  treading 

Where  the  saints  have  trod; 
We  are  not  divided, 

All   one   body  we, 
One  in  hope  and  doctrine, 

One  in  charity. ' ' 

3.  The  candidate  shall  give  affirmative  answer 
to  the  following  questions  propounded  by  the 
chaplain : 

(1)  Do  you  believe  in  the  Fatherhood  of 
God,  the  Saviourhood  of  Christ,  and  the 
Brotherhood  of  man! 

(2)  Do  you  believe  in  the  objects  and 
principles  of  this  Brotherhood? 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  85 

(3)  Do  you  promise  that  so  long  as  you 
are  a  member  of  this  Brotherhood  you  will 
be  loyal  to  its  constitution  ? 

4.  The  chairman  of  the  membership  com- 
mittee shall  then  conduct  the  candidate  to  a  point 
in  the  circle  which  shall  open  to  receive  him.  All 
join  hands  and  kneel  on  the  right  knee  and  re- 
peat the  Lord 's  Prayer  in  concert. 

5.  All  stand,  hands  still  joined  and  raised, 
while  singing: 

''Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 
Our  hearts  in  Christian  love: 
The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 
Is  like  to  that  above. 

** Before  our  Father's  throne 
We  pour  our  ardent  prayers; 
Our  fears,  our  hopes,  our  aims  are  one, 
Our  comforts  and  our  cares. 

''We  share  our  mutual  woes, 
Our  mutual  burdens  bear, 
And  often  for  each  other  flows 
The  sympathizing  tear." 

6.  The  secretary  of  the  Brotherhood  shall 
then  place  the  Brotherhood  button  on  the  left 
breast  of  the  candidate  and  say:  ^'May  this 
emblem  ever  remind  you  of  our  Christian  friend- 
ship and  brotherly  love,  and  may  it  proclaim  to 
the  world  that  we  ^  glory  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.'  '^ 

7.  Then  the  president  of  the  Brotherhood 
shall  say:  ^^We,  the  members  of  this  Brother- 
hood, welcome  you  into  our  fellowshiiD.  May 
we  be  brothers  indeed,  bearing  one  another's 


86  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

burdens,  glorifying  our  Father  here  on  earth, 
and  finally  join  the  church  triumphant  in 
heaven. ' '    Amen. 

MEMBERSHIP   CARD 

After  the  member  has  been  received  he  should 
be  given  a  membership  card  signed  by  the  presi- 
dent and  secretary  of  the  society.  I  consider 
this  to  be  of  great  importance  for  several 
reasons. 

1.  A  Presbyterian  brother  traveling  and  for 
any  reason  in  need  of  friends  can  identify  him- 


PEESBYTERIAN  BROTHEEHOOD 

MEMBERSHIP    CARD 

To  Our  Presbyterian  Brothers  Everywhere, 
Greeting  : 

This  is  to  certify  that  Mr 

is  a  member  of  Chapter  No.  1,  OF 

the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood,  of  Massillon,  Ohio, 
and  that  he  is  commended  to  the  courtesy,  Christian 
fellowship,  and  brotherly  kindness  of  our  brothers  every- 
where. 

President. 

Secretary. 

Date 

Note. — The  inscribed  name  of  the  owner  of  this  card 
is  his  signature.  For  identification,  bearer  will  sign 
his  name  on  the  back  of  this  card. 


self  with  this  card.     There  might  be  circum- 
stances in  which  the  button  would  not  be  suffi- 


CIXCIT^NATI    CONVENTION  87 

cient  for  this  purpose.     May  I  submit  the  ac- 
companying card  as  a  sample? 

2.  A  brother  visiting  where  he  is  not  known 
to  Presbyterian  men  might  use  the  card  con- 
veniently as  a  means  of  introduction. 

3.  Our  young  men  are  flocking  from  the 
country  churches  into  the  cities,  and  get  lost  in 
the  whirl  of  city  life.  But  how  easily  could  they 
find  good  companions  and  friends  by  simply 
producing  their  Brotherhood  membership  cards 
to  some  Presbyterian  minister  or  Brotherhood 
man!  Any  country  church  in  the  land  which 
can  have  a  men's  Bible  class  of  five  men  and  up- 
wards can  have  a  Brotherhood,  and  use  the  mem- 
bership card  as  I  have  indicated  in  case  any  of 
the  men  move  from  the  country  to  the  city. 

There  are  many  other  ways  of  using  the  mem- 
bership card  which  will  naturally  suggest  them- 
selves to  you. 

Peeparation  Before   Organization 

Mr.  Chairman,  there  is  another  form  which  I 
would  like  to  submit  here  for  the  benefit  of  those 
churches  represented  here  to-day  which  have 
not  yet  organized  chapters  of  the  Brotherhood, 
also  for  the  benefit  of  chairman  of  Presbyterial 
and  Synodical  committees,  for  they  are  expected 
to  assist  in  organizing  chapters  of  the  Brother- 
hood. It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that 
thorough  preparation  should  be  made  before  at- 
tempting to  organize.     Many  pastors  have  failed 


88  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

to  interest  or  organize  their  men,  because  no 
preparation  had  been  made  before  attempting 
to  organize.  The  following  form  is  not  entirely 
original  with  me.  For  many  of  the  ideas  herein 
contained  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Joseph  W. 
Powell  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  the  organizer  of  the 
Wesley-Brotherhood. 

How  TO  Prepare  to  Organize  a  Brotherhood 

BY  rev.  R.   R.  bigger,  PH.   D. 

1.  Two  or  three  weeks  before  you  meet  to 
organize,  secure  the  services  of  a  *' Brotherhood 
speaker, '*  one  who  thoroughly  understands 
Brotherhood  work  and  who  can  be  enthusiastic 
and  instruct  your  men.  Get  cards,  *' Wanted — 
200  Men,''  printed,  and  prepare  ^'lists''  of  all 
men  in  and  connected  with  your  church  as  indi- 
cated below. 

2.  Having  done  this,  ask  all  male  members 
present  to  remain  after  morning  service,  and  tell 

them  that  you  are  going  to  have  Mr.  

come  three  weeks  from  to-morrow  night  (Mon- 
day) to  tell  about  the  *^ Brotherhood  movement,'' 
and  that  you  want  all  of  the  men  of  the  commu- 
nity to  hear  about  this  movement,  and  you  want 
all  the  men  present  to  help  work  up  a  big  audi- 
ence of  men  to  hear  Mr. . 

There  and  then  constitute  all  of  the  men  pres- 
ent into  a  '^Brotherhood  Committee,"  appoint- 
ing as  chairman  of  the  committee  a  wide-awake 
pusher  who  is  interested  in  a  men's  organiza- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  89 

tion.     (Better  have  an  understanding  with  him 
beforehand. ) 

Appoint  a  secretary  of  the  committee  and  have 
him  take  the  names  of  all  men  present.  Give 
cards,  ^^ Wanted — 200  Men,''  to  all  of  the  com- 
mittee and  have  them  get  all  men  in  and  con- 
nected with  the  church  to  sign,  not  to  join  a 
Brotherhood,  but  simply  to  come  and  hear  about 
it  and  to  meet  the  Brotherhood  speaker. 

3.  In  order  to  interest  men  who  have  become 
cold  and  indifferent  to  the  welfare  of  the  church, 
also  men  whose  families,  but  not  themselves,  are 
members  of  the  church,  it  will  be  necessary  for 
church  officials  and  Christian  men  to  sign  at  once 
to  help  the  committee  in  their  work.  Get  the 
men  to  sign  in  the  following  order  from  ^'lists'' 
already  prepared.     Keligiously  observe  this. 

Chairman  of  committee  and  all  members  of 
committee. 

Pastor  and  church  officials. 

All  male  members  of  church  over  15  years  old. 

All  men  who  have  wives  in  the  church. 

All  men  who  have  children  in  the  Sunday 
school. 

All  men  who  attend  the  preaching  services. 

All  men  who  look  to  your  church  as  their 
church. 

All  men  who  live  in  your  parish  who  have  no 
church  connections. 

4.  Have  meetings  of  the  committee  and  have 
the  secretary  call  the  roll  of  committee  so  that 
the  men  may  report  progress  and  give  cards, 


90  THE    PEESBYTERIAN    BEOTHERHOOD 

which  have  been  signed,  to  the  chairman  of  the 
committee.  Keep  these  cards,  for  you  will  need 
them.  Give  the  upper  part  of  the  card  to  the 
man  who  signs  as  a  memorandum  of  the  meeting. 

5.  It  would  be  well  to  have  a  banquet  or  light 
refreshments  at  this  meeting  and  hear  the 
Brotherhood  speaker  as  an  after-dinner  speaker. 
If  he  understands  his  business  he  will  show 
the  possibilities  of  the  Brotherhood  and  the 
men  will  be  eager  to  organize.  Proceed  imme- 
diately to  organize  temporarily.  (Have  a  good 
chairman  and  secretary  in  mind  ready  to  nomi- 
nate.) Get  the  names  of  all  men  present  who 
want  to  be  charter  members.  Appoint  com- 
mittee on  nominations,  also  committee  on  consti- 
tution, and  set  the  next  meeting  *  ^  one  week  from 
to-night"  to  complete  the  work  of  organizing  and 
to  hear  general  discussion  ^^for  the  good  of  the 
Brotherhood"  and  plan  for  future  work.  Don't 
fail  to  start  a  Brotherhood  Bible  class  right 
away. 

6.  In  all  of  this  work  let  it  be  distinctly  under- 
stood that  the  Brotherhood  is  to  help  men  so- 
cially, intellectually,  morally,  and  spiritually. 
To  win  men,  interest  them  and  use  them  in 
behalf  of  their  fellow-men. 


Have  your  ^^Brotherhood  speaker"  engaged 
for  three  weeks  hence,  get  out  your  cards  right 
away,  get  your  lists  ready,  get  your  ^*  Brother- 
hood    committee"     together,     divide     up    the 


CII^CINNATI    COI^VENTION  91 

work,  and  systematically  reach  the  last  man 
and  get  him  to  sign  to  come  and  hear  the  Brother- 
hood man  and  learn  about  the  Brotherhood 
movement.  Your  men  must,  first  of  all,  know 
about  the  work  and  catch  the  spirit  of  the  move- 
ment. If  after  all  of  this  they  are  not  willing 
to  organize,  the  sooner  you  know  it  the  better; 
but  if  they  are  willing  to  have  a  Brotherhood, 
the  sooner  you  proceed  to  organize  the  better. 
Strike  the  iron  while  it  is  hot. 

If  these  rules  of  preparation  are  thoroughly 
and  systematically  worked  you  can  hardly  fail 
to  organize  a  good  Brotherhood.     It  will  require 


WANTED— 200  MEN 

To  meet Synodical  Eepresenta- 

tive  of  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood,  at  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church,  Woodlawn  Avenue,  on 

Monday,  May  6th,  1907 
7.30  P.  M. 

Please  be  one  of  the  200.     Come,   rain   or  shine,   es- 
pecially if  it  rains. 


I  am  interested  in  an  organization  for  the  men  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  congregation,  and  will  try 
to    be    present    at    the    above   place    and    time    to    meet 


Name 

Address 

Committee  get  signature,  detach,  and  return  to 

Eugene  Frey,  Chairman. 


92  THE    PEESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

hard  work,  but  ^Hliere  is  no  excellence  without 
labor." 

The  card,  ''Wanted — 200  Men,"  was  origi- 
nated by  Mr.  Joseph  W.  Powell,  the  Brotherhood 
organizer  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  The  card  to  be  used 
in  the  above  plan  is  shown  here. 

And  now  with  your  men  thoroughly  aroused 
as  to  the  importance  of  the  Brotherhood,  and 
thoroughly  organized  and  fitted  out  with  badges, 
application  cards,  membership  cards,  forms  of 
iniation,  manual,  etc.,  the  greatest  of  all  ques- 
tions remains  to  be  answered.  That  question  is 
''What  shall  we  do  and  how  shall  we  proceed  to 
get  the  best  results."  Woe  unto  the  pastor  who 
organizes  a  Brotherhood  without  knowing  what 
to  do  with  it,  who  has  no  plans  which  his  men 
can  work  out.  Such  a  Brotherhood  is  doomed  to 
failure.  To  answer  this  question  would  require 
hours.  It  means  organization  within  the  organi- 
zation. It  means,  first  and  greatest  of  all,  the 
organization  of  the  Brotherhood  Bible  Class. 
Bible  study  should  be  the  very  heart  and  life 
of  every  chapter  of  the  Brotherhood.  It  means 
the  organization  of  Brotherhood  glee  clubs,  hotel 
visiting  committees,  mass  meetings  for  men,  shop 
meetings,  mission  study  classes,  etc.  It  means 
no  less  than  "A  Half  a  Hundred  Things  a 
Brotherhood  Can  Do, ' '  which  I  now  submit,  and 
upon  which  I  have  not  time  to  comment. 

The  eagerness  with  which  the  men  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  have  taken  hold  of  the 
Brotherhood  movement  is  proof  positive  that 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  93 

men  are  anxious  to  do  something  to  help  ad- 
vance the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earth.  But 
the  questions  which  arise  in  the  mind  of  many 
an  anxious  pastor  and  his  men  are :  ' '  What  can 
we  do  that  is  really  worth  while!  How  may 
we  reach  and  help  our  fellow-men!"  As  a 
partial  answer  to  these  timely  and  practical 
questions  may  I  submit  ^'Half  a  Hundred 
Things  a  Brotherhood  Can  Do"!  Not  many 
Brotherhoods  will  be  able  to  do  all  of  these  things 
all  of  the  time,  but  everything  mentioned  in  this 
list  is  being  done  by  the  various  men's  societies 
throughout  the  country.  The  majority  of  these 
things  have  been  put  into  practice  in  the  writer 's 
own  local  Brotherhood.  From  this  list  any 
Brotherhood  may  select  enough  work  to  keep 
all  the  men  busy  for  the  Master,  and  this  is  the 
secret  of  success.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the 
work  is  laid  out  for  the  committees,  such  as 
membership,  Bible  study,  social,  etc.  Our 
blessed  Lord  said:  ''If  ye  know  these  things, 
happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them. ' '  By  this  rule  alone 
can  any  church  have  a  happy  and  prosperous 
Brotherhood. 

MEMBERSHIP 

1.  Get  every  man  on  your  church  roll  to  join 
the  Brotherhood.  Get  the  church  surcharged 
with  the  spirit  of  brotherhood. 

2.  Get  every  man  who,  though  not  a  member, 
is  in  some  way  connected  with  your  church,  to 
join  the  Brotherhood. 


94  THE   PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

3.  Lay  out  in  districts  of  about  eight  blocks 
each  the  territory  of  the  congregation  a  mile  in 
diameter,  with  the  church  as  a  center.  Have 
Brotherhood  men  canvass  these  districts  to  get 
men  who  have  no  church  home  to  join  the 
Brotherhood. 

BIBLE  STUDY  AND  EDUCATION 

4.  Organize  Brotherhood  weekly  Bible  classes 
to  meet  the  same  hour  as  Sunday  school. 

5.  Get  men  who  must  work  on  Sunday  to  join 
home  department  of  the  Brotherhood  Bible  class. 

6.  Conduct  night  classes  for  men  and  boys 
who  cannot  go  to  school. 

7.  Maintain  free  reading  room  for  men  and 
boys. 

8.  Organize  and  drill  the  Junior  Brotherhood 
in  brigade  work,  parliamentary  rules,  etc. 

9.  Have  a  scholarship  in  one  of  our  Presby- 
terian colleges  for  the  benefit  of  young  men  of 
limited  means. 

10.  Have  a  wide-awake  Secretary  of  Good 
Literature  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  distribute 
leaflets  and  tracts  and  books  on  the  subject  of 
temperance,  good  citizenship,  reform  missions, 
Bible  study,  etc.,  to  the  men. 

11.  Organize  mission  study  class  for  men. 
Study  the  negro,  Indian,  foreigner,  etc. 

SERVICE  AND  MUSIC 

12.  Organize  Brotherhood  glee  club  or  male 
choir. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  95 

13.  Have  Brotherhood  seat  reserved  for 
strangers  in  church.  Have  ushers  wear  badges 
on  which  is  printed  the  word  ''Brotherhood." 

14.  Have  prayer  meetings  for  men. 

15.  Have  Sunday  afternoon  mass  meetings  for 
men  only. 

16.  Have  shop  meetings  for  men. 

17.  Provide  the  monthly  meetings  with  good 
music,  bright  talks,  debates,  refreshments,  etc. 

18.  Let  the  men  take  charge  of  the  mission 
Sunday  schools  under  the  care  of  the  local 
church. 

19.  Have  open  air  or  tent  meetings  for  men. 

20.  Have  Brotherhood  men  take  charge  of 
Sunday  evening  church  service  occasionally ;  and 
let  the  men  give  short  addresses  on  some  good, 
religious  topic  which  will  interest  men.  Extend 
a  public  invitation  to  men.  Have  Brotherhood 
male  choir  sing. 

21.  Help  increase  the  attendance  at  the  mid- 
week prayer  meeting.  Very  important.  Let 
Brotherhood  men  freely  take  part  in  prayer 
meetings. 

22.  Have  charge  of  a  mission  for  foreigners 
under  the  care  of  the  local  church.  Very  im- 
portant. The  best  way  to  solve  the  problem  of 
the  foreigner. 

SICK    AND    POOR 

23.  When  sickness  and  death  enter  a  brother's 
home,  Brotherhood  men  should  offer  sympathy 
and  assistance. 


96  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

24.  Establish  a  benefit  fund  to  help  a  brother 
or  his  family  in  time  of  distress. 

25.  Help  educate  a  poor  boy,  a  cripple  or  an 
orphan. 

26.  Have  a  quartet  to  sing  Sunday  afternoons 
in  hospital  wards.  Only  those  who  have  passed 
through  the  lonely  hours  of  hospital  illness  can 
appreciate  the  sunshine  and  cheer  which  such 
singing  will  bring  to  the  sick  and  suifering  ones. 

GOOD    CITIZENSHIP 

27.  Help  good  citizenship  or  temperance  move- 
ments. 

28.  Under  the  auspices  of  the  Brotherhood, 
have  special  programs  relative  to  anniver- 
saries emphasizing  patriotism,  Flag  Day, 
Fourth  of  July,  Washington's  Birthday,  etc. 

29.  Circulate  petitions  under  the  direction  of 
the  National  Eeform  Bureau,  of  Washington, 
D.  C,  of  which  Dr.  Wilbur  F.  Crafts  is  secre- 
tary. These  petitions  to  be  sent  to  your  con- 
gressman and  United  States  senator,  in  behalf 
of  temperance  and  reform  measures.  Also  pe- 
titions to  your  representatives  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature. The  Brotherhood  can  become  a  great 
power  along  this  line. 

30.  Make  sensible  scientific  and  systematic 
efforts  to  rescue  men  addicted  to  the  drink  habit* 

SOCIAL 

31.  Have  Brotherhood  socials,  receptions,  and 
banquets  to  foster  good  fellowship. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  97 

32.  Have  Brotherhood  annual  picnic,  excur- 
sion, or  outing. 

33.  Have  lecture  course,  including  recitals, 
concerts,  stereopticon  entertainments,  etc. 

34.  Let  the  men  have  charge  of  the  banquet 
at  the  time  of  the  annual  congregational  meeting, 
providing  good  music  and  hearing  report  irom 
all  departments  of  church  work. 

ADVERTISING 

35.  Have  hotel  visiting  committee. 

36.  Have  men  provide  for  printing  church 
bulletin. 

37.  Let  the  men  have  charge  of  printing  local 
church  paper. 

38.  Distribute  invitations  to  bring  men  to  the 
regular  Sunday  evening  services  of  the  church. 

39.  See  that  all  interesting  meetings  of  the 
Brotherhood  are  reported  in  your  local  daily 
papers.  Then  be  sure  to  send  marked  copies  of 
paper  to  the  chairman  of  your  synodical  com- 
mittee. Also  report  to  him  the  work,  methods, 
etc.,  of  your  local  Brotherhood,  and  he  in  turn 
will  report  to  the  National  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary.    Also  report  to  church  papers. 

EMPLOYMENT 

40.  Have  employment  committee  to  help  men 
into  positions. 

41.  Help  our  deceased  brothers'  widows  and 
orphans  to  get  em]3loyment. 

42.  Elect  fraternal  delegates  to  the  Trades  and 


98  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

Labor  Assembly.  And  under  the  direction  of 
Charles  Stelzle,  of  onr  Home  Mission  Board,  try 
to  bring  about  a  better  feeling  between  the  labor- 
ing people  and  the  church. 

43.  Maintain  a  free  bed  in  a  hospital  for  the 
use  of  workingmen. 

GENERAL 

44.  Assume  the  support  of,  or  help  support,  a 
church  deaconess ;  or  a  city,  home  or  foreign  mis- 
sionary. 

45.  Help  raise  money  for  new  church,  pipe 
organ,  improvements,  etc. 

46.  Eesolve  to  speak  to  at  least  one  man  each 
day  on  religious  matters.     Personal  work. 

47.  Be  true  brothers,  seeking  to  protect  each 
other's  reputations,  and  to  advance  each  other's 
interests. 

48.  Pray  every  day  for  the  spread  of  Christ's 
kingdom  among  men. 

49.  Be  loyal  to  your  pastor,  to  your  local 
church  and  to  our  great  church  at  large. 

50.  Send  a  delegate  from  your  local  chapter  to 
each  presbyterial,  synodical  and  national  con- 
vention of  the  Brotherhood. 

Mr.  Best. — We  cannot  have  speeches  this 
morning,  and  the  chairman  will  be  just  as  rigid 
as  he  dares  to  be  in  cutting  you  off.  It  will  not 
be  the  cranks  and  the  fellows  who  are  talking 
foolishness,  but  the  bright  men  that  will  be  cut 
off. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  99 

I  will  try  a  model  speech  myself.  Last  night 
Dr.  Hill,  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  said  that  he  de- 
sired more  unity  of  organization  and  methods  in 
the  Brotherhood.  Now,  with  all  respect  to 
Dr.  Hill,  I  have  seen  the  free,  untrammeled  work 
of  the  Brotherhoods  in  Cincinnati,  Indianapolis, 
and  Chicago  developing  along  such  varied  lines, 
and  their  work  has  enriched  the  church  so 
vastly,  with  such  a  variety  of  useful  methods, 
that  for  my  part  I  must  speak  for  variety. 
There !  That  is  a  model  speech ;  because  I  said 
my  say;  I  was  respectful  to  Dr.  Hill,  although 
I  disagreed  with  him;  I  provoked  discussion 
(watch  Dr.  Hill  and  you  will  see),  and  I  said  it 
all  in  thirty  seconds.  Now  we  will  hear  from 
Mr.  Hill,  of  Oak  Park. 

Mr.  Elmer  Hill,  Oak  Park,  Illinois. — Breth- 
ren, Dr.  Goss  last  night  said:  '^Privilege  and 
opportunity  engender  responsibility.^'  We  ap- 
preciate the  privilege,  we  grasp  the  opportunity, 
we  assume  the  responsibility. 

We  are  not  adventuring  Argonauts  sailing- 
uncharted  seas  in  quest  of  the  Golden  Fleece, 
nor  visionary  mystics  wandering  barren  wastes 
in  search  of  a  Holy  Grail.  We  are  here  on  the 
King's  business — seeking  and  striving  for  those 
things  which  can  be  measured,  weighed,  en- 
joyed, and  given  to  others  for  their  enjoyment; 
the  uplift  of  humanity  and  the  extension  of  the 
kingdom  in  the  hearts  of  men.  To-day,  as  never 
before,  God-serving  men  are  getting  together. 


100  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Jew  and  Gentile,  Catholic  and  Protestant,  re- 
gardless of  creed  or  sect,  are  meeting  upon  the 
common  ground  of  patriotism,  to  work  for  the 
common  good.  It  is  a  widespread  movement 
for  good  citizenship  and  civic  righteousness;  a 
movement  for  the  construction  of  a  machine  by 
which  decent  citizens  may  utterly  destroy  those 
undesirable  elements  which  so  seriously  affect 
our  moral  and  civic  affairs;  a  movement  for 
domestic,  economic,  and  civic  decency. 

I  am  requested  to  tell  of  what  the  men  of  Oak 
Park,  111.,  have  accomplished  along  that  line. 
Learning  that  at  our  next  general  election  our 
citizens  would  be  given  the  opportunity  of  ex- 
pressing themselves  on  local  option,  our  men^s 
club  took  the  initiative  in  a  movement  that  re- 
sulted in  a  federation  of  the  men 's  organizations 
of  the  churches  of  Oak  Park,  a  federation  for 
civic  purity,  for  God  and  humanity. 

Here  is  a  problem  in  higher  mathematics.  We 
have  three  thousand  five  hundred  registered 
voters  in  Oak  Park,  and  we  have  two  thousand 
five  hundred  King's  men  in  the  federation. 
^Vhat's  the  answer?  The  answer  is  this :  If  the 
saloon  obtains  a  foothold  in  Oak  Park,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  federation  should  be  tarred  and 
feathered.    I  am  the  president. 

Just  before  starting  for  Cincinnati,  I  called 
up  the  presidents  of  the  federated  clubs,  and 
within  forty-five  minutes  had  arranged  for  a 
mass  meeting  in  honor  of  James  K.  Shields, 
State  Superintendent  of  the  Anti-Saloon  League 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  101 

of  Illinois,  the  King^s  man  who  last  Tuesday 
carried  seventeen  counties  in  Illinois  for  local 
option,  and  chased  the  saloon  out  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  precincts.     (Applause) 

What  we  have  done  you  can  do !  Federate  the 
men  of  the  churches  of  your  towns,  and  drive 
the  federated  forces  of  ''Bottle,  Boodle  and 
Boss  ^ '  into  the  depth  of  the  deep,  deep  sea !  Get 
in  line  and  march  with  your  fellow-citizens  who, 
responding  to  the  call  of  duty,  are  coming  up 
out  of  the  shadow  of  the  valley  of  indifference 
to  the  glorious  heights  of  responsibility,  to 
claim  and  enjoy  the  privileges  which  appertain 
to  Christian  American  citizenship.  Federate 
for  Grod  and  humanity. 

Mk.  Best. — Now  we  will  take  up  the  first  item 
for  discussion,  ''What  is  the  Brotherhood  forT' 
What  do  you  say!  What  is  the  Brotherhood 
for? 

Dr.  John  Clark  Hill. — I  think  the  very  best 
thing,  the  thing  that  is  going  to  cause  the 
Brotherhood  to  grow  along  the  line  of  perma- 
nent efficiency,  is  to  follow  out  the  line  I  sug- 
gested by  those  two  words  last  night,  and  thor- 
oughly elaborated  by  Dr.  Bigger.  I  believe  in 
unity;  I  believe  in  the  button,  and  I  believe  in 
talking  it  up,  letting  folks  know  that  you  are  a 
Presbyterian  ' '  brother. ' '  I  believe  in  flexibility 
just  as  much  as  my  Brother  Best  and  all  the 
rest.    I  believe  in  the  report  of  the  Council;  I 


102  THE   PBESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

believe  in  having  a  secretary  who  will  be  a  sort 
of  center  of  the  united  operations  of  the  Brother- 
hood. I  believe  that  every  man  in  all  our 
churches  should  be  a  Brotherhood  man,  wearing 
the  button,  and  I  believe  we  have  lost  a  year  by 
not  having  these  buttons  ready  by  the  bushel  at 
the  last  convention. 

Mr.  W.  F.  Wood. — The  thing  the  Presbyte- 
rian Brotherhood  should  do  is  to  take  the  labor- 
ing man  by  the  hand  and  show  some  interest  in 
him.  That  is  one  thing  the  Brotherhood  should 
stand  for. 

Kev.  Geo.  Knox,  Lafayette,  Indiana. — I  want 
to  make  an  Iowa  speech.  I  was  pastor  of  a 
Sioux  City  church  twenty  years  ago,  when  we 
closed  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  saloons.  I 
have  just  been  back  there  helping  to  dedicate  a 
splendid  $80,000  church,  and  one  of  the  elders 
asked  me  to  go  with  him  on  a  little  trip  around 
the  city.  He  took  me  to  twenty-five  places  of 
business,  showing  me  girls  and  young  men  and 
boys  who  had  been  brought  to  Jesus  Christ 
through  that  church.  He  took  me  through  the 
roundhouse,  and  I  shook  the  hands  of  forty 
men.  This  church  is  blessed  with  many  men 
who  are  trying  to  win  men  for  Christ.  In 
going  the  rounds  we  were  stopped  a  half-dozen 
times  by  some  young  man  who  would  say :  ^ '  Mr. 
Cummings,  there  is  a  new  man;  we  must  get 
hold  of  him. ' '    This  Mr.  Cummings  is  an  elder 


CINCIKNATI    CONVENTION  103 

in  the  church,  and  is  doing  a  personal  work  all 
over  that  city.  I  came  back  thanking  God  that 
I  had  been  privileged  to  have  some  small  part 
in  this  work,  even  though  it  had  been  twenty 
years  ago.  The  men  there  are  carrying  out  the 
Brotherhood  idea  and  standing  for  civic  right- 
eousness in  the  city,  thereby  winning  many  souls 
for  Jesus  Christ. 

Ren  Mulfokd,  Cincinnati. — I  just  want  to  say 
one  word  in  echo  of  that  brother  who  spoke  for 
the  laboring  man.  For  over  a  year  out  at  Nor- 
wood on  one  Sunday  night  of  each  month  we 
have  had  the  service  conducted  by  our  Brother- 
hood. One  night  we  had  a  service  when  five 
young  men  of  Norwood  factories,  who  had  never 
risen  to  say  a  word  for  Christ,  arose  before  that 
congregation,  from  which  people  were  turned 
away.  It  was  one  of  the  grandest  sights  I 
had  ever  seen  in  my  life.  A  hand  stretched 
forth  to  labor  is  what  this  Brotherhood  should 
stand  for. 

Mk.  Buegan,  Idaho. — I  am  in  favor  of  the 
plan  for  looking  after  the  individual  case. 
Presbyterian,  Methodist,  Baptist,  Congrega- 
tionalist,  and  every  other  denomination,  we  find 
a  great  number  of  letters  in  trunks.  There  are 
more  letters  in  the  trunks  in  our  villages  than 
there  are  enrolled  in  the  churches. 

So  many  seem  to  have  the  idea  (this  is  es- 
pecially true  in  the  West)  that  they  are  coming 


104  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

west  to  make  money,  not  to  serve  God.  We 
have  a  large  number  of  men  of  that  kind,  and 
we  need  some  plan  of  organization  whereby  we 
can  get  hold  of  these  men  when  they  come,  that 
we  may  be  able  to  say  to  them :  ^*Come  out  and 
be  a  man  among  us;  show  your  colors  and  be 
true  to  them.'' 

Dr.  E.  B.  Newcomb,  Keokuk,  Iowa. — I  want 
to  say  a  word  as  to  the  purpose  of  the  Brother- 
hood. Last  year,  you  remember,  I  said  I  would 
be  glad  to  send  a  copy  of  a  constitution  to  any- 
body who  wanted  it.  As  showing  the  interest 
in  this,  I  had  applications  from  all  over  the 
country,  and  I  still  have  some  copies  I  will  be 
glad  to  give  to  anyone. 

The  problem  of  preaching  to  the  laboring  man 
is  one  of  our  greatest  questions  in  Keokuk.  We 
took  up  the  question,  ^^If  I  were  king  in  Keo- 
kuk, ' '  and  I  asked  one  of  our  members  who  rep- 
resented the  laboring  man  to  tell  us  what  he 
would  do  as  respecting  the  laboring  man  in  Keo- 
kuk, if  he  were  king.  Well,  he  went  back 
— ^he  had  not  been  in  touch  with  the  church 
— and  said  to  the  Federation  of  Labor: 
^^We  have  been  wrong  about  the  attitude 
of  the  church  toward  us.  I  never  had 
better  treatment  than  I  had  when  I  talked  to  the 
Brotherhood  of  the  Westminster  Church.  I 
guess  they  are  pretty  good  stuff. ' '  As  a  result, 
he  became  interested  in  the  work  of  Mr.  Stelzle, 
and  he  and  another  laboring  man  were  instru- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  105 

mental  in  changing  the  date  of  the  meeting  of 
the  Central  Trade  Labor  Association  from  Sun- 
day morning  to  Friday  night,  so  they  might  have 
a  fraternal  delegate  from  our  Ministerial  Asso- 
ciation. After  they  had  done  that,  I  took  the 
matter  up  in  the  Ministerial  Association,  and 
they  could  not  do  anything  else  but  appoint  me 
fraternal  delegate.  In  the  meeting  of  the  State 
Federation  of  Labor  last  summer,  I  do  not  know 
how  anybody  could  have  been  more  cordially 
treated  by  the  committee  of  arrangements  than 
I  was.  I  was  asked  to  speak  at  a  banquet  they 
held.  Usually,  a  preacher  takes  his  text  from 
the  Bible,  but  that  night  I  was  the  only  one  who 
did  not  take  his  text  from  the  Bible.  After  I 
had  finished  what  I  had  to  say,  I  suppose  there 
were  fifty  men  whom  I  did  not  know  at  all,  who 
came  to  me  and  said  they  were  glad  to  hear  that 
kind  of  a  speech. 

There  is  a  way  to  preach  to  men  outside  of  the 
church,  and  it  is  for  us  to  find  that  way  and 
show  these  men  that  there  is  a  connection  be- 
tween the  Christian  Church  and  the  Brother- 
hood. 

Eev.  De.  E.  Tkumbull  Lee,  Wilkinsburg,  Pa. 
— I  want  to  answer  the  first  question ;  but  before 
I  answer  it,  I  want  to  say  that  I  would  indorse 
everything  said  by  Dr.  Bigger,  except  in  regard 
to  degrees.  I  want  to  say  that  you  must  go  slow 
in  a  thing  of  that  kind.  In  my  church  it  would 
not  go  at  all. 


106  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Dr.  Bigger. — They  are  not  degrees  at  all.  If 
I  had  time  to  explain  more  fully,  you  would 
understand  what  I  mean. 

Dr.  Lee.— ^'What  is  the  Brotherhood  forT' 
I  believe  the  answer  to  that  question  answers  all 
the  other  questions  that  are  here  put  down.  The 
Brotherhood  is  for  the  function  of  witness-bear- 
ing. We  may  say  there  are  twenty-five  thou- 
sand members  in  these  Brotherhoods.  If  every 
single  man  of  the  twenty-five  thousand  observes 
the  Christian  function  of  witness-bearing  to  the 
extent  of  bringing  only  one  other  man  to  Jesus 
Christ  in  a  year,  we  will  have  twenty-five  thou- 
sand men  brought  to  Jesus  Christ.  And  that  is 
what  the  Brotherhood  is  for.    (Applause) 

Mr.  Best. — That  is  what  we  are  after — spir- 
ituality— to  get  down  to  the  spiritual  heart  of 
things  and  bring  men  to  Christ,  just  as  Dr.  Lee 
has  said.  His  talk  ought  to  make  a  good  many 
of  us  feel  that  we  have  not  got  into  the  spiritual 
heart  of  things  in  our  Brotherhoods. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Eckels,  Decatur,  Illinois. — How  can 
we  be  witness-bearers  for  Jesus  Christ!  How 
can  I  be  a  witness-bearer  for  Jesus  Christ?  I 
am  heartily  in  favor  of  the  button.  I  have  the 
great  privilege  of  wearing  the  button  of  that  as- 
sociation of  traveling  men  called  the  *  *  Gideons. '  * 
I  wear  two  buttons,  and  then  when  I  go  to  my 
place  of  business  at  Decatur  and  take  off  my 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  107 

coat,  I  still  wear  a  button,  and  every  traveling 
man  that  comes  there  says:  ^^ Brother,  I'm  glad 
to  see  you. ' '  One  way  we  can  witness  for  Jesus 
Christ  is  to  wear  this  Brotherhood  button. 

Dk.  E.  a.  Bess. — I  want  to  emphasize  the  idea 
of  Dr.  Lee,  that  we  ought  to  have  one  thing  up- 
permost in  the  Brotherhood,  and  that  is  the  idea 
of  witness-bearing  and  the  idea  of  soul-winning. 
I  believe  we  ought  to  be  obliging,  but  still  not 
make  the  Brotherhood  an  accommodation  to 
every  institution  that  comes  along  that  wants  to 
use  it  in  a  political  way.  We  ought  to  get  down 
to  soul  work  in  the  local  church,  and  the  general 
principles  of  missions,  foreign  and  home. 

Mr.  Best. — We  will  go  at  this  thing  another 
way.  We  talked  of  personal  workers'  bands. 
Of  course.  Brotherhood  work  is  all  evangelistic 
in  a  way,  but  a  department  for  the  training  of 
men  for  personal  work  or  witness-bearing  is  a 
different  thing  from  a  Bible  class. 

Mr.  F.  a.  Tompkins^  Chicago,  Illinois. — I 
believe  thoroughly  in  the  button  and  in  the  card, 
and  especially  in  the  card  of  identification,  and 
I  believe  in  going  a  step  farther  than  was  sug- 
gested by  Dr.  Bigger.  Let  me  give  you  an  illus- 
tration : 

Some  years  ago  I  was  identified  with  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  work  in  Chicago,  and  two  young 
men  from  Germany  who  had  been  members  of 


108  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  Evangelical  Church  there,  came  to  Chicago. 
The  German  Society  wrote  to  headquarters  in 
Boston,  Boston  wrote  to  Chicago,  Chicago 
turned  it  over  to  me,  I  turned  it  over  to  the  Ger- 
man Society  in  Chicago,  and  their  secretary 
landed  these  young  men. 

If  all  of  our  men  carried  identification  cards, 
there  would  be  a  chance  for  the  Brotherhoods 
in  the  large  towns  and  cities  to  get  hold  of 
them. 

Mr.  Eoop. — I  want  to  enforce  that.  I  have 
been  trying  for  three  years  to  get  Presbyte- 
rian pastors  to  send  me  notice  of  removals, 
send  me  word  that  certain  men  have  come  to 
our  town. 

Mr.  Geo.  H.  Fulcher,  Oswego,  Kansas. — ^I 
want  to  say,  in  answer  to  that  first  question,  that 
the  Brotherhood  should  be  for  the  ^^brothering" 
of  the  boys  and  young  men  of  the  town. 

Dr.  W.  M.  Hindman,  Chillicothe,  Ohio.— I 
want  to  say  that  we  must  have  thorough  Bible 
study,  and  we  must  have  our  men  study  the 
Bible  if  they  are  to  accomplish  any  good  work. 

Mr.  W.  0.  LaMonte,  Chicago. — In  answer  to 
the  second  question,  I  am  not  sure  that  we  will 
last  long  unless  we  train  men  to  do  personal 
work  in  getting  men  into  the  church.  I  think 
it  is  essential  that  we  should  give  time  and  at- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  109 

tention  to  training  men  to  deal  with  the  men 
they  meet. 

A  Delegate. — I  would  like  to  ask  how  yon  get 
a  man  to  come  to  Bible  class.  I  have  found  the 
best  way  is  by  personal  communication.  I  was 
very  much  impressed  with  what  a  workingman 
said  who  came  to  our  Bible  class.  Some  one 
asked  him  how  he  happened  to  be  there.  He  said 
he  had  to  come.  When  asked  why,  he  said  he 
received  forty-three  invitations,  and  had  to  come 
or  die. 

Mr.  Sexton,  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania. — 
There  may  be  a  great  many  men  here  just  like  I 
am.  I  am  sent  here  by  the  Session  of  one  of  the 
large  churches  in  Pittsburg.  They  sent  me  to 
see  just  what  kind  of  an  organization  the  Broth- 
erhood is.  We  have  no  Brotherhood  in  our 
church.  We  ought  to  have  one ;  I  am  convinced 
of  that.  But  they  expect  me  to  say  whether  they 
shall  organize  one.  I  have  not  heard  anyone  say 
just  how  to  start  a  local  Brotherhood.  I  would 
like  to  hear  some  good  ideas  as  to  how  a  Broth- 
erhood is  started. 

Rev.  J.  A.  Dunkel,  Saginaw,  Michigan. — My 
church  was  a  regular  '  ^  icicle ' '  for  a  while.  Men 
would  come  in  and  go  out  frozen.  But  since  we 
have  a  Brotherhood  we  get  letters  from  Pitts- 
burg and  other  cities,  from  big  business  men, 
saying,  ^'We  have  a  salesman  that  comes  from 


110  THE   PEESBYTERIAN    BROTHEKHOOD 

your  church,  aud  he  is  the  best  we  ever  had. '^ 
We  have  a  committee  to  corral  strangers.  Last 
Sunday  two  traveling  men,  one  from  Chicago 
and  one  from  Columbus,  came  in,  and  as  we  were 
short  of  Sunday-school  teachers,  we  had  them 
teach,  and  when  they  went  out  they  said  they 
felt  sure  of  their  welcome,  because  we  put  them 
to  work. 

Mr.  Charles  T.  Thompson,  Minneapolis. — I 
think  I  can  answer  the  last  question,  ^'How  to 
start  a  local  Brotherhood?" 

I  represent  a  church  of  two  thousand  and 
sixty  members,  with  two  thousand  five  hundred 
to  three  thousand  Sunday-school  scholars.  The 
Session  and  pastor  of  the  church  realized  that 
our  men  did  not  know  enough  about  the 
work  of  the  church.  We  called  a  meet- 
ing of  the  men  for  the  purpose  of  social  inter- 
course, and  made  the  time  six  o'clock,  so  the 
men  could  come  from  their  offices.  About  two 
hundred  and  fifty  men  responded  to  the  invita- 
tion, and  there,  under  the  influence  of  the  mo- 
ment, our  Men's  Union  was  formed.  We  have 
not  accomplished  all  that  we  desire,  but  from 
that  time  a  marked  interest  among  our  men  has 
been  awakened,  and  we  believe  we  have  started 
a  really  evangelistic  work.  To  illustrate  what 
we  can  do:  At  one  meeting  some  one  read  a 
letter  from  a  little  town  in  the  northern  jDart  of 
the  state,  saying  they  had  no  place  in  that  town, 
except  the  saloons,  where  young  people  could 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  111 

meet  in  the  evenings,  and  asking  if  we  could  not 
help  them  to  raise  money  enough  to  build  a  little 
room  adjoining  the  church,  to  cost  about  $500, 
where  the  young  people  might  meet.  One  of 
our  young  men  said :  ' '  Now,  that  is  something 
definite;  now  we  can  do  something.'^  And  at 
once  the  money  was  raised  to  put  up  that  build- 
ing. That  is  simply  an  illustration  of  what 
can  be  done.  Get  the  men  together,  talk 
to  them,  and  there  will  be  no  trouble  about 
finding  work. 

Eev.  Wilson  Aull,  Petoskey,  Michigan. — 
What  we  need  is  some  way  to  arouse  indifferent 
men  of  the  church  who  are  perhaps  in  the  church 
and  not  members  of  the  Brotherhood.  We  want 
men  who  can  do  j)ersonal  work,  but  we  do  not 
have  them.  Our  best  men  will  not  go  out  to 
meet  their  fellows  and  ask  them  to  come  to 
church.  We  need  men  of  this  kind  in  our 
Brotherhood.  I  went  to  one  of  the  members  of 
my  church  and  asked  him  why  he  did  not  come 
to  church.  He  said :  ^ '  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  come, 
but  I  do  not  have  very  much  time.  I  have  a 
large  business. '  ^  ^ '  Yes, '  ^  I  said, ' '  the  Bible  says 
that  the  cares  of  this  world,  business  and  riches, 
choke  the  Word.''  ^'But  you  see  I  have  bor- 
rowed money  and  am  carrying  a  big  stock,  and 
am  tied  up."  ''Yes,"  I  said,  ''the  Bible  says 
so." 

What  we  want  is  men  who  are  willing  to  go 
out  and  work  on  men  of  this  kind,  the  indiffer- 


112  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ent  ones,  and  bring  them  in,  so  that  they  in  turn 
may  be  personal  workers. 

Dr.  Egbert  F.  Coyle. — We  have  a  Bible  class 
with  an  enrollment  of  two  hundred  and  sixty, 
and  an  average  attendance  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty.  In  order  to  secure  men  we  have  a 
committee  of  seven  whose  business  it  is 
to  communicate  with  men  in  person  and  through 
the  post  office,  and  we  hope  by  another  year  to 
increase  the  attendance  to  three  hundred  every 
Sunday  morning.  We  feel  it  can  easily  be  done. 
The  enthusiasm  is  growing,  and  we  have  a  defi- 
nite work.  We  are  supporting  two  missionaries 
in  Brazil.  We  are  federated  with  other  unions 
in  the  city,  and  propose  to  work  along  practical 
lines  as  far  as  possible. 

Mr.  Best. — Now  let  us  sum  up.  We  want 
men  organized  in  all  the  churches,  any  way  or 
every  way.  Get  the  men  together  and  organize. 
Find  out  what  you  can  best  do  for  your  own 
fellows.  Do  not  make  it  a  social  club;  be  reli- 
gious outright,  and  not  disguisedly  religious. 
The  main  idea  is  to  get  men  into  the  church  and 
then  keep  them  at  work  after  you  do  get  them  in. 
The  Brotherhood  Bible  class  is  one  of  the  first 
things.  The  private  prayer  circle  of  interested 
men  who  are  willing  to  meet  and  pray  for  the 
work,  is  probably  the  next.  But  you  cannot 
have  a  Bible  class  until  you  get  a  teacher;  you 
cannot  do  anything  until  you  get  a  teacher. 


CIlSrCINNATI    CONVENTION  113 

Therefore  do  not  begin  too  big,  but  begin  in  a 
small  way  and  let  the  work  grow. 

Make  your  own  plan;  work  it  for  six  months, 
and  then  tell  the  other  Brotherhoods  about  it. 
Use  social  plans,  but  use  them  with  the  one  idea 
in  view  of  winning  men  to  Jesus  Christ.  That 
is  the  Brotherhood  idea. 

Just  because  our  Brotherhoods  are  and  are  to 
be  diverse  in  their  plans,  we  must  have  a  central 
clearing  house,  so  that  each  may  know  what  the 
other  is  doing,  and  compare  notes.  Do  not  stand 
off  from  the  national  organization ;  do  not  wait 
until  you  have  a  big  concern  locally.  If  you 
have  anything  at  all,  send  in  your  report  to  the 
Brotherhood  Council  and  tell  them  what  you 
are  doing.  That  is  what  the  Council  is  for,  to 
keep  us  all  in  touch  together. 


VII 

THE  DEVOTIONAL  LIFE  OF  THE 
BROTHERHOOD 

BY  HON.  HUGH  H.  HANNA. 

Before  we  open  the  discussion  of  the  subject 
as  presented  by  the  program,  I  would  like  to 
su^Dplement  the  report  of  the  Council,  so 
modestly  read  by  our  vice  president,  Mr.  Holt. 
I  am  very  glad  to  take  this  opportunity  to  ex- 
press to  the  Brotherhood  the  deep  sense  of  grati- 
tude I  have  to  Mr.  Holt  for  doing  all  my  work 
this  year. 

I  learned  some  time  since  that  a  man  who 
could  not  make  a  speech  should  never  try,  so  I 
shall  talk  informally  a  few  moments  and  then 
read  a  short  paper,  in  order  to  make  a  record. 

As  I  came  out  here  to-day  I  got  into  conversa- 
tion with  a  very  attractive  man,  a  member  of  the 
Brotherhood  (and  perhaps  in  this  room  now), 
and  he  talked  very  freely  to  me  about  what  the 
Brotherhood  should  be.  He  said :  '  ^  We  Presby- 
terians are  a  fraternal  lot  of  men,  but  we  lack 
warmth.  We  do  not  get  close  to  people,  and 
they  do  not  get  close  to  us."  In  the  main,  I 
agree  with  him,  but  I  do  not  think  we  lack 
warmth  this  morning,  and  especially  as  I  stand 

114 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  115 

here  and  listen  to  that  great  song,  ^^We're  here 
on  business  for  our  King. '  ^  It  is  a  perpetual  in- 
spiration. 

Our  part  of  the  program  this  morning  is  the 
devotional  side  of  the  work.  Let  me  say  the 
Brotherhood  must  put  ^  ^  Christ  on  the  throne  and 
man  on  the  cross, '^  if  we  are  to  belong  to  the 
great  Brotherhood.  It  must  be  '^  Christ  on  the 
throne  and  man  on  the  cross,  ^ '  or  it  will  be  ' '  Man 
on  the  throne  and  Christ  on  the  cross. ' '  We  are 
to  stand  together  like  men  in  a  common  cause.  I 
am  so  tremendously,  so  profoundly  impressed 
with  the  apathy  among  tlie  men  of  our  church  in 
regard  to  the  spiritual  uplift,  and  I  am  just  as 
profoundly  impressed  that  the  opportunity 
opened  up  to  us  last  year  in  the  beginning  of 
this  Brotherhood  is  the  way  to  overcome  this 
apathy.  I  intend  in  a  very  few  words  to  tell 
you  my  own  little  story,  which  will  make  clear 
to  you  why  I  am  so  enthusiastic  over  the  possi- 
bilities that  are  opened  to  the  Brotherhood  in 
the  spiritual  side  of  our  work. 

There  is  nothing  new  to  Presbyterian  men  in 
church  work.  The  work  has  been  going  on  so 
many  years  and  has  all  been  threshed  over,  and 
yet  some  things  are  new  to  business  men.  I  was 
brought  up  in  the  church,  but  it  does  not  seem 
to  me  that  I  have  been  in  it  more  than  about  two 
years.  Some  things  brought  to  my  attention  the 
necessity  of  putting  ''Christ  on  the  throne"; 
brought  to  my  attention  the  absolute  necessity 
for  self-effacement.    If  a  man  is  to  be  strong  and 


116  THE    PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

useful,  he  must  put  himself  on  the  cross  and 
Christ  on  the  throne.  This  worked  itself  out  in 
a  very  small,  narrow  sphere  for  me;  it  worked 
itself  out  in  such  a  way  that  I  realized  prayer 
is  the  foundation  we  must  lay  for  a  life  of 
spiritual  virility  for  the  saving  of  souls  of  men. 
If  our  purpose  is  not  close  communion  with  God, 
we  are  missing  the  idea  of  the  Brotherhood. 
Presbyterian  brothers  must  be  ^^sons  of  the 
King.'' 

Before  I  heard  about  this  Brotherhood  (I  was 
not  a  close  student  of  church  work  until  the  last 
few  years)  I  had  come  into  that  sense  of  con- 
viction that  enabled  me,  with  God's  help,  and 
in  spite  of  the  weakness  of  my  soul,  to  put 
^^ Christ  on  the  throne  and  man  on  the  cross." 
I  awakened  to  the  fact  that  the  prayer  meeting- 
was  the  backbone  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
church.  I  began  to  study  the  prayer  meeting 
and  found  only  about  ten  per  cent  of  the  mem- 
bers in  attendance  at  the  prayer  meeting,  and 
most  of  these  were  women — ^very  few  men. 

The  elders  of  the  church  began  to  hold  a  little 
prayer  meeting  before  service  Sunday  morning, 
to  pray  for  the  pastor  and  to  pray  that  the 
hearts  of  the  people  might  be  opened  to  receive 
the  message  he  should  bring.  It  was  not  very 
long  before  we  began  trying  to  bring  in  the 
people  already  members  of  the  church.  I  was 
one  of  them.  We  all  realized  that  the  man  who 
has  received  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  his 
heart  is  always  hunting  for  somebody  to  give  it 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  117 

to;  the  great  blessing  he  has  received  is  some- 
thing he  wants  to  share  with  his  neighbor. 

I  remember  the  first  door  I  went  to.  The 
people  were  members  of  the  church,  but  how  I 
did  hope  I  would  not  find  them  at  home.  I  never 
was  a  coward,  so  far  as  I  know,  in  public  work, 
but  I  did  hope  they  would  not  be  at  home.  They 
were  at  home,  and  I  never  received  a  warmer 
welcome  in  my  life.  These  people  did  not  at- 
tend the  prayer  meeting,  but  they  were  glad  to 
see  me.  People  who  knew  me  knew  I  had  never 
been  in  the  habit  of  making  such  visits.  Well, 
they  came  to  prayer  meeting. 

We  must  live  closer  to  the  Father.  We  must 
** commit  our  ways  unto  him,''  as  a  church  and 
as  a  people,  and  we  must  trust  him  always  and 
**he  shall  bring  it  to  pass." 

I  have  typewritten  some  other  thoughts  that 
I  want  to  put  in  the  record,  and  if  you  will  per- 
mit me,  I  will  read  them. 

Why  should  our  Brotherhood  exist!  What 
call  is  there  for  increased  machinery  in  our 
church !  We  already  have  the  great  boards.  We 
already  have  numerous  phases  of  effort  to  bring 
the  people  into  our  church  and  hold  them  there. 
Our  membership  is  large,  our  support  of  the 
church  and  boards  generous,  our  Sabbath 
schools  are  flourishing,  our  members  attend  the 
Sabbath  morning  service,  our  pastors  labor  un- 
ceasingly, the  many  activities  of  the  church  are 
zealously  pushing  forward,  the  Evangelistic 
Committee  is  doing  a  great  work,  the  Christian 


118  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Endeavor  Society  is  vigorous,  the  Bible  classes 
are  well  attended,  some  of  the  faithful  attend  the 
mid-week  prayer  meeting — in  short,  these  activ- 
ities are  numerous  and  successful  in  their  fields. 

Wliat  is  left  for  a  Brotherhood  to  do?  Is 
there  any  way  by  which  the  Brotherhood  can  en- 
large the  usefulness  of  these  activities! 

Yes!  Most  certainly  it  can  and  will.  Cer- 
tainly every  means  should  be  sought  to  bring 
about  efficient  organized  effort  to  accomplish 
great  pressure  for  advance  on  these  lines. 

Does  this  assurance  satisfy!  There  are  a 
large  number  of  earnest  men  in  our  church  who 
realize  their  failure  to  serve  the  Master,  who 
would  gladly  respond  to  this  organization's 
plans  for  greater  work. 

But  would  they  be  satisfied  ?  Would  they  con- 
tinue their  interest  ?  Would  they  faithfully  give 
time  to  these  causes'?  Or  will  the  demands  of 
their  practice  or  business  compel  them  to  neglect 
these  activities  and  draw  them  back  into  the 
other  affairs  of  life,  in  which  they  can  better  see 
the  results  for  which  they  strive ! 

Suppose  we  turn  on  the  search  light  and  hon- 
estly look  at  the  real  fundamental  things  for 
which  the  church  exists.  Is  a  church  only  to 
exert  a  moral  influence  in  its  community?  Or 
does  it  go  further  ? 

Isn't  the  church  an  organized  instrument  to 
forward  the  work  that  the  Master  delegated  to 
his  disciples?  Doesn't  this  work  mean  pri- 
marily the  saving  of  the  souls  of  men? 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  119 

Now,  let  US  turn  on  a  more  powerful  search 
light,  that  lays  bare  everything  and  discloses 
conditions  we  are  seldom  willing  to  believe. 

It  surely  shows  great  and  good  purpose  and 
desire  to  accept  the  Father's  love.  Wliat  more 
does  it  disclose?  Weakness,  cowardice,  neglect, 
apathy. 

Isn't  the  search  light  strong  enough  to  disclose 
these  things  to  all  of  us,  however  feeble  our  de- 
sire to  see !  Of  course,  there  are  always  splendid 
exceptions.  With  all  of  our  activity,  does  not 
the  search  light  disclose  the  lack  of  growth  in 
spiritual  life  commensurate  with  all  these  aids 
to  moral  growth?  Is  there  any  better  measure 
of  the  growth  of  spiritual  life  of  a  church  than 
can  be  found  in  the  analysis  of  its  mid-week 
prayer  meeting! 

Let  us  turn  the  search  light  upon  the  prayer 
meeting.  Is  there  a  strong  growth  in  spiritual 
life  there  proportional  with  the  growth  of 
church  membership?  Whom  do  we  find  there! 
Are  the  new  members  of  the  church  zealous  in 
their  attendance!  Are  they  encouraged  by  the 
invitation  to  attend ! 

No;  not  one  in  ten  of  the  members  is  there; 
and  as  a  rule  the  men  are  sadly  in  the  minority. 
Ordinarily,  the  search  light  finds  very  few  men 
in  regular  attendance.  Of  course,  there  are 
splendid  exceptions  to  this  rule. 

We  have  many  strong  activities,  but  how 
many  of  them  lead  the  man  of  the  church  to  in- 
vite his  neighbor  to  attend  the  prayer  meeting! 


120  THE   PRESBYTEEIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

How  many  are  inviting  men  in  or  out  of  the 
church  to  aid  in  building  up  the  spiritual  in- 
terest in  the  prayer  meeting !  And,  in  truth,  the 
prayer  meeting  is  the  spiritual  backbone  of  the 
church.  If  the  men  of  the  church  realized  the 
privilege  of  prayer,  the  possibilities  would  be  im- 
measurable. 

Every  man  conscious  of  the  great  gift  will 
always  hasten  to  share  it  with  his  neighbor. 

The  rock,  the  fundamental  upon  which  all 
of  the  great  work  of  the  church  rests,  is  the 
prayers  of  those  who  in  consecration  keep 
very  close  to  the  Father,  seeking  his  light 
and  guidance  to  bring  all  of  his  people  into  his 
kingdom. 

Every  one  of  his  activities  in  a  praying  church 
will  be  brought  to  full  usefulness.  The  Brother- 
hood will  re-enforce  all  effort;  but  to  live,  it 
must  base  all  its  hope  upon  the  united  prayer 
of  the  earnest  men  of  the  church. 

A  prayer  union  of  men  in  each  church,  though 
beginning  very  small  in  numbers  in  attendance, 
to  meet  every  Sabbath  morning  to  pray  for  the 
Father's  blessing  upon  the  pastor,  that  he  may 
bring  the  Master's  message  of  love  and  salvation 
to  the  people,  and  that  the  people  in  turn  may  re- 
ceive the  Word  in  prayerful  Christ  spirit,  can 
and  should  be  the  fundamental  of  the  Brother- 
hood plan.  A  few  men  privately  and  prayer- 
fully inviting  others  to  join  them,  one  by  one,  is 
the  beginning  that  is  needed  to  bring  about  the 
great  uplift  of  the  church. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  121 

All  of  the  activities  can  be  pressed  forward  by 
our  organization,  but  the  great  rock  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Brotherhood  of  America,  its  deepest 
concrete  foundation,  should  be  the  prayer  union 
through  which  must  come  the  great  enlargement 
of  all  other  activities. 

First,  let  us  adopt  prayer  as  the  fundamental 
of  our  organization. 

Second,  let  us  request  all  churches  to  pray  for 
our  guidance  in  every  Sabbath-morning  service. 

Third,  let  us  leave  nothing  undone  to  secure 
the  organization  of  a  prayer  union  in  every 
one  of  our  churches,  within  the  next  twelve 
months. 

This  will  be  a  very  small  and  simple  step.  It 
needs  no  machinery.  The  members  need  only 
pledge  themselves  to  regular  and  prayerful  at- 
tendance, and  to  pray  always  also  for  the  mid- 
week prayer  meeting. 

As  I  have  said,  it  is  a  very  small  step,  but  it 
is  all  important,  and  will  lead  up  to  all  that  is 
needed  to  make  God's  people  realize  that  his  will 
is  the  all-absorbing  desire  of  life.  Out  of  all 
this  will  come  the  understanding  of  what  the 
Master  meant  when  he  said,  '^Go  ye.''  It  will 
lead  us  to  carry  the  great  gift  of  his  love  to  our 
neighbors  throughout  the  world,  for  we  will  find 
the  way  and  the  means. 

No  suggestion  is  made  of  any  limitation  upon 
the  work  of  the  Brotherhood. 

'^Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord;  trust  also 
in  him;  and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass." 


122  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

In  closing  my  remarks  on  this  subject,  I  must 
say,  as  I  did  in  the  beginning,  that  we  must  put 
*^ Christ  on  the  throne  and  man  on  the  cross,''  if 
we  are  to  rise  to  that  self-effacement,  that  un- 
selfish service  of  the  King,  that  unselfish,  prayer- 
ful service  to  all  about  us.  When  we  have  done 
this  we  have  laid  the  foundation  on  which  will 
be  built  the  spiritual  uplift  of  the  church. 

I  am  very  happy  to  bring  to  your  attention  Mr. 
Gordon,  of  Madison,  N.  J.,  with  whom  we  had 
much  correspondence  before  we  could  persuade 
him  to  find  the  time  to  come  to  this  convention. 
I  beg  of  you,  gentlemen,  that  you  listen  prayer- 
fullv  to  the  few  remarks  Mr.  Gordon  will  make. 


VIII 
POWER  BY  PRAYER 

BY   S.   D.   GORDON 

Shall  we  bow  just  a  moment  in  prayer  before 
further  sijeaking! 

Breathe  now  thy  Holy  Spirit  upon  us;  teach 
us  how  to  jDut  thee  on  the  throne.  Help  us  to 
hear  thy  voice  as  we  talk  further  this  morning, 
for  Jesus'  sake.    Amen. 

There  is  a  sharp-toothed  pain  biting  at  the 
heart  of  God.  It  is  all  the  time  biting,  and  bit- 
ing hard.  It  concerns  a  family  affair,  a  family 
disgrace ;  and  where  a  thing  of  that  kind  is  con- 
cerned, one  speaks  of  it  very  softlj^,  especially 
if  you  are  in  the  family  and  it  is  an  old  one.  And 
this  family  is  one  of  the  oldest,  and  we  are  in 
the  family.  And  so  we  say  very  softly  that  one 
of  God's  family  of  planets  is  a  prodigal.  And 
then  more  softly  yet — ours  is  that  prodigal 
planet.  Then  the  softness  of  shame  creeps 
in  as  we  recall  that  we  have  given  our  consent 
to  the  prodigal  part  of  the  story.  And  then  the 
softness  of  love  comes  into  a  man's  voice  as  he 
calls  to  mind  that  God  has  in  his  great,  wondrous 
love  won  some  of  us  back  home  again.  And 
then,  if  you  are  talking,  your  voice  will  ring  out 

12a 


124  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

for  sheer  joy  as  you  remember  that  we  who  are 
won  may  be  the  pathway  back  home  for  all  the 
others.  That  is  God 's  plan.  The  pathway  from 
man  to  God  is  always  a  human  pathway.  And 
the  highest  joy  a  man  ever  reaches  or  can  reach 
is  to  be  a  pathway  back  to  God's  hearth  fire  for 
all  whom  he  touches. 

That  we  may  win  the  others  back  home,  the 
Father  has  given  us  something  that  we  call 
power.  There  is  one  inlet  of  power  in  life — 
just  one  inlet — the  Holy  Spirit.  He  is  power. 
He  is  in  everyone  who  opens  his  door  to  God. 
He  is  all  the  time  standing  with  the  toe  of  his 
boot  at  the  crack  of  the  door  of  a  man's  heart, 
waiting  for  the  first  half-chance  to  come  in  by 
the  man's  free  consent.  His  presence  within  is 
the  one  vital  thing.  One  inlet  of  power  into  a 
man's  life — the  Holy  Spirit  in,  and  in  control. 

There  are  ^ve  outlets  of  power.  Five  avenues 
going  out  of  everyone  of  us,  along  which  this 
marvelous  Jesus-Spirit  is  going  all  the  time,  re- 
vealing himself.  And  that  is  power — Jesus  re- 
vealing himself  through  us. 

The  first  outlet  is  the  life — what  we  are.  Just 
simply  what  we  are.  If  we  are  true  and  clean 
and  straight,  the  power  of  God  is  breathing  out 
all  the  time. 

The  second  outlet  is  through  the  lips — ^what 
we  say.  It  may  be  said  poorly.  A  man's  lips 
may  stammer.  But  if  his  heart  is  on  fire  for 
Jesus  his  power  breathes  through  the  broken 
words  uttered. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  125 

The  third  outlet  is  through  our  service — what 
we  do.  It  may  be  done  poorly.  Your  best  may 
not  be  the  best;  perhaps  it  rarely  is.  But  if  it 
be  your  best,  it  will  be  God-blessed  and  always 
bring  a  harvest,  although  far  beyond  your  con- 
sciousness of  what  is  being  done.  A  man  is  al- 
ways least  conscious  of  the  power  of  his  own 
life  and  service.  I  suppose  we  could  not  wear 
our  hats  if  we  were. 

The  fourth  outlet  is  through  our  money — 
what  we  do  not  keep. 

The  fifth  outlet  is  through  our  prayer — ^what 
we  claim  in  Jesus,  the  Victor  ^s,  name.  Not  what 
we  succeed  in  getting  God  to  do;  not  persuad- 
ing God  over  to  our  side;  but  what  we  claim, 
in  Jesus,  the  Victor 's,  name,  shall  take  place  on 
earth.  And  without  doubt,  without  question, 
the  greatest  of  these  five  is  the  outlet  through 
prayer.  The  power  of  a  life  touches  just  one 
spot,  where  the  life  is  being  lived,  but  that  touch 
is  tremendous.  What  is  there  to  be  compared 
with  the  power  of  a  simple,  pure,  unselfish, 
Christlike  life!  I  think  of  one,  two,  three  lives, 
of  three  women  who  all  unconsciously  to  them- 
selves have  made  my  life,  on  the  human  side, 
what  it  has  come  to  be.  And  you  doubtless  think 
of  some  one  who  has  made  your  life  what  it 
has  come  to  be.  The  power  of  a  life  nobody 
can  tell,  or  count,  or  weigh.  It  touches  just 
one  spot,  where  it  is  being  lived,  but  that 
touch  is  far  beyond  any  measure  or  weighing 
of  scales. 


126  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

The  power  of  the  lips  depends  entirely  on  the 
life  back  of  the  lips.  How  we  men  who  talk 
for  God  ought  to  remember  that.  I  have  heard 
a  man  talk  in  a  very  easy,  smooth,  almost  glib 
way,  and  the  words  rolled  from  me  as  easily  as 
they  seemed  to  roll  out  of  him.  And  I  have  heard 
a  man  talking  with  broken,  jagged  rhetoric,  but 
my  heart  burned  while  he  talked.  I  remember 
Charles  Studd,  of  Cambridge,  the  famous  crick- 
eter and  wrangler.  He  always  spoke  in  an  in- 
tense, jagged  way,  and  yet  our  hearts  always 
burned  while  he  talked.  I  remember  a  fellow  in 
a  New  England  University,  a  famous  athlete,  a 
very  poor  speaker,  slow,  hesitating,  and  almost 
stammering  in  his  speech;  and  yet  every  time 
that  fellow  was  to  speak  in  any  hall  on  the  col- 
lege campus,  the  place  was  jammed  with  his 
fellow-students,  who  would  listen  for  an  hour 
as  he  talked  in  that  slow,  almost  embarrassing 
way,  because  they  knew  that  the  fellow  was 
just  as  straight  on  the  river,  or  the  gridiron,  or 
the  diamond,  or  in  examinations,  as  he  was  in 
the  prayer  meeting,  or  anywhere  else,  and  it 
was  his  life  talking  through  his  lips.  The  man 
is  always  more  than  the  message.  The  man  al- 
ways talks  more  than  the  words  of  his  lips  are 
saying.  The  power  through  the  lips  depends  en- 
tirely on  the  life  back  of  the  lips. 

Power  through  service  is  always  less  than  the 
power  of  a  life.  We  will  want  to  serve;  wher- 
ever Jesus  has  touched  a  life  you  must  spend 
and  be  spent,  gladly  and  lovingly.    And  yet  we 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  127 

do  more  by  the  lives  we  live  than  by  the  best 
service  we  ever  give.  We  serve  best,  not  in  our 
service,  but  in  our  lives. 

Power  through  gold  depends  entirely  on  the 
motive  back  of  the  money.  Begrudged  money 
spoils  the  treasury.  The  Church  of  Christ  has 
no  need  of  money  to-day;  she  is  rich,  in  her 
own  right,  and  in  the  individual  right  of  her 
members;  but  she  has  great  need  of  red-tinted 
money — money  with  the  red  tint  of  sacrifice 
upon  it,  red  with  the  life  of  the  man  who  gives 
it.  You  cannot  tell  the  worth  of  money  in  Chris- 
tian service  by  its  face  value,  but  only  by  its 
sacrifice  value.  If  we  might  only  have  more 
money  red-tinted,  there  would  be  more  done  for 
Jesus  around  the  world. 

But  power  through  prayer — if  you  will  please 
listen  very  softly  with  the  inner  ears  of  your 
hearts — power  through  prayer  is  as  tremen- 
dous as  the  power  of  a  life — to  say  no  more  just 
now,  though  more  could  be  said.  And — please 
underscore  the  and — it  may  touch  not  one  spot 
merely,  but  anywhere  in  the  whole  round  world 
where  you  choose  to  turn  its  power  out  and  in. 
The  greatest  thing  anybody  can  do  is  to  pray. 
It  is  not  the  only  thing,  of  course,  but  it  is  the 
first  thing.  Because  if  a  man  is  to  pray  right 
he  first  must  be  right  in  his  life,  in  his  touch 
with  Jesus.  And  if  he  be  right  and  in  touch 
with  the  Master  there  will  be  a  burning  passion 
for  prayer;  and  then  out  of  prayer  will  grow 
the  giving  and  serving  and  doing  and  all  the 


128  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

rest.  And  when  they  grow  out  of  prayer  they 
are  fairly  fragrant  with  the  presence  of  God, 
and  pregnant  with  the  very  life  of  God  him- 
self. 

The  greatest  people  in  the  world  to-day  are 
the  men  who  pray.  I  do  not  mean  those 
who  talk  abont  prayer  simply,  nor  those  who 
say  they  believe  in  prayer  merely,  nor  those 
who  can  explain  nicely  and  philosophically  and 
clearly  about  prayer ;  but  I  mean  the  men  who 
take  time  to  pray.  They  haven't  time — nobody 
who  is  worth  while  has  time  for  all  that  presses 
in  to  be  done.  Something  must  always  be  left 
out  of  a  life  that  is  worth  while;  something 
must  be  sacrificed.  He  is  the  keen  man  who 
knows  what  may  best  be  sacrificed  and  left  out. 
I  sometimes  think  a  man  determines  the  power 
of  his  life  by  what  he  leaves  out,  more  than  by 
what  he  puts  in.  There  are  men  everywhere,  in 
this  old  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  all  the 
other  churches  of  God,  who  are  putting  prayer 
first,  and  then  grouping  the  other  affairs  of  life 
around  it  as  the  center.  They  are  the  ones  who 
are  doing  most  for  God  and  for  men. 

May  I  put  it  in  this  further  simple  way?  God 
will  do,  as  a  result  of  your  praying  and  mine, 
what  otherwise  he  would  not  do.  Yes;  I  can 
make  that  stronger,  and  I  must,  because  the  Book 
does.  God  will  do,  as  a  result  of  the  praying 
of  the  weakest  man  here,  what  otherwise  he 
could  not  do.  Some  one  knits  his  brows  and 
says:    ^'You   are   getting  that  rather   strong. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  129 

Could  not  do!"  Well,  you  remember  what 
Jesus  said  that  Thursday  night  (John  15:16): 
^ '  Ye  did  not  choose  me,  but  I  chose  you,  and  ap- 
pointed you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bear  fruit, 
and  that  your  fruit  should  abide:  that  whatso- 
ever ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  my  name,  he 
may  give  it  you."  Will  you  underscore  that 
word  ^ '  may  "  ?  I  think  every  other  time  it  reads 
^^He  shall."  But  this  time  it  is  ^^He  may." 
*^He  shall"  throws  the  matter  over  onto  God — 
his  purpose.  ^^He  mai/"  throws  it  over  onto  us 
— our  cooperation  with  God  in  his  purpose. 

We  must  remember,  and  not  forget  that 
prayer  has  two  sides  to  it;  always  two  sides  to 
that  important  transaction  called  prayer.  First 
a  God  to  give,  and  second,  a  man  to  receive. 
God  does  nothing  by  force;  he  never  crowds  a 
man.  He  never  does  a  thing  for  a  man  without 
the  man^s  consent,  and  he  always  touches  men 
through  men,  so  that  prayer  is  giving  God  a 
chance  to  work  out  his  plan.  It  is  giving  to  God 
an  open  door  into  the  life  of  this  world.  God 
needs  the  cooperation  of  our  prayers. 

Oh,  for  more  men  who  will  stay  just  where 
they  have  been  put,  in  God's  providence — no 
feverish  fingering  of  door  knobs  leading  up- 
stairs— ^who  just  simply  stay  where  they  are  put, 
in  God 's  plan,  and  who  will  put  their  whole  lives 
in  touch  with  Jesus,  and  then,  as  he  guides,  pray, 
and  ask,  and  insist,  and  persist.  They  are  God 's 
best  friends  in  helping  win  his  prodigal  world 
back  to  the  home  circle  again. 


130  THE   PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

I  asked  some  men  from  Pittsburg  on  the  train 
yesterday  coming  across  from  that  city,  if  they 
thought  that  prayer  did  things.  Whether  a  man 
could  go  into  his  room  here  and  shut  the  door 
and  pray  for  somebody  in  Tokio,  and  if  he  did, 
would  it  do  things  in  Tokio.  It  would  help 
himself;  it  would  have  a  subjective  effect,  of 
course;  but  would  it  change  anything  in  Tokio? 
I  wish  I  could  take  the  time  to  ask  you  men  if 
you  really  underneath  have  a  conviction  that  it 
would.  Because  if  we  have  such  conviction 
there  would  be  far  more  things  done  in  Tokio, 
in  Shanghai,  in  Calcutta,  in  Cairo,  and  around 
the  world.  A  man  may  shut  himself  in  his  inner 
room,  and  by  the  spirit  telegraphy  we  call 
prayer,  in  Jesus'  name,  change  things  where  he 
may  choose  to. 

You  men  here  are  business  men,  largely.  You 
like  to  do  business  transactions;  that  is  your 
life.  Prayer  is  conducting  spiritual  transac- 
tions for  Jesus  among  men,  and  when  we  men 
of  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  get  prayer  on 
that  basis,  we  will  change  things.  We  will 
change  men  and  change  problems,  and  change 
churches,  and  change  the  world,  in  the  power  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

Shall  we  pray?  If  something  else  slips,  if  we 
have  not  so  much  time  for  polishing  up  the 
sermons,  and  doing  some  other  things,  shall  we 
take  time  to  pray?  And  if  we  will,  some  day — 
in  the  morning — we  will  wake  up  and  be  fairly 
swept  off  our  feet  to  find  what  God  has  been 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  131 

doing  through  our  prayer,  although  we  knew  it 
only  in  smallest  part. 

OUTLINE    OF    A    TALK    BY    THE    REV.     WILLIAM     M. 
ANDERSON,  D.  D. 

No  more  important  topic  will  engage  the 
thoughts  of  this  convention  than  *'The  Devo- 
tional Life  and  Work  of  the  Brotherhood.'* 
The  work  of  the  Brotherhood  is,  of  course,  con- 
ditioned upon  its  life.  Only  living  things 
work.  Dead  things  are  quiet  and  dignified. 
The  devotional  life  of  the  Brotherhood  will  de- 
pend upon  the  devotional  life  of  each  member 
of  the  Brotherhood,  and  it  will  rise  no  higher 
than  the  average  life  of  its  members.  The  de- 
votional life  of  a  man  is  simply  an  expression 
of  his  spiritual  life.  The  spiritual  life  has  one 
supreme,  unfailing  test,  and  that  is  the  prayer 
habit.  A  man's  spirituality  is  determined  by 
the  fact  and  character  of  his  secret  prayer.  Of 
course,  there  can  be  a  formal  manifestation  of 
devotion  that  would  seem  to  indicate  spirit- 
uality, but  it  would  be  a  deception,  and  capable 
of  detection. 

Spiritual  life  is  a  real  thing,  it  is  something 
definite,  it  is  an  entity.  It  can  be  really  known 
and  really  manifested.  In  fact,  it  is  impossible 
to  prevent  its  manifestation.  One  synonym  for 
spirituality  is  godliness,  another  is  holiness. 
These  three  words  defiine  what  ought  to  be  the 
soul  life  of  every  member  of  the  Brotherhood. 


132  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

Godliness  is  God-likeness.  And  as  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  manifestation  of  God,  it  means  that  the 
man  should  be  like  Jesus  Christ,  Christ 's  man,  a 
Christian.  Holiness  is  the  state  of  being  holy, 
therefore  obedience  to  a  divine  command.  Holi- 
ness is  truth  in  action,  faith  gone  to  work, 
love  coined  into  deeds.  Holiness  is  devotion 
breathing  benediction  upon  human  suffer- 
ing. It  is  God's  love  sent  forth  through  the 
channels  of  human  life.  It  is  the  supreme 
virtue  in  man,  as  it  is  the  supreme  excellence  in 
God. 

Let  us  remember  that  spiritual  life  has  one 
supreme  test:  the  prayer  habit.  A  man's 
spiritual  life  is  determined  by  the  fact  and  char- 
acter of  his  secret  prayer.  Men,  the  question 
is,  do  you  pray? 

This  brings  us  to  consider  fellowship  with 
Christ  which  is  the  root,  cause  and  condition  of 
spiritual  life.  Our  Lord  said,  *'If  ye  abide  in 
me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask 
what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you.'' 
When  we  think  of  our  many  prayers  and  few 
conscious  answers,  we  are  called  upon  to  ex- 
plain. Either  we  have  not  met  the  conditions, 
or  God  does  not  fulfill  his  promises.  God's 
promises  are  always  coupled  with  conditions, 
and  if  we  fulfill  the  conditions  he  will  fulfill  the 
promises.  We  do  not  like  to  admit  failure;  we 
cannot  accuse  God  of  failing;  therefore,  we 
cheat  our  spiritual  life  by  placing  in  all  these 
promises  a  qualifying  clause,  which  he  did  not 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  133 

use,  ''If  it  be  God's  will."  In  this  manner  we 
undertake  to  maintain  God's  integrity  and  our 
own. 

We  need  to  notice  carefully  the  effects  of  fel- 
lowship. 

1.  Fellowship  gives  life,  full,  conscious  life. 
''And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know 
thee  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom 
thou  hast  sent." 

2.  Fellowship  gives  hope,  that  effective  an- 
chor, the  star  that  ever  burns  in  the  Christian 
sky. 

3.  Fellowship  gives  joy,  the  wine  of  Christian 
life. 

4.  Fellowship  gives  power  in  prayer,  the  high- 
est attainment.  In  intercession  the  individual 
and  the  church  find  and  wield  their  power. 
Men  usually  look  upon  prayer  as  a  means  of 
maintaining  spiritual  life.  Prayer  must  be  re- 
garded in  the  light  of  Scripture  and  the 
Master's  teachings  as  the  church's  greatest 
power. 

We  must  know  and  teach  our  fellows  in  the 
Brotherhood  as  well  as  all  men  the  nature  of 
fellowship  with  Christ. 

1.  Its  root,  principle  or  instrumental  cause 
is  faith,  mentioned  ninety-nine  times  in  the 
Gospel  of  John.  Faith  is  obedience  in  repose, 
obedience  is  faith  in  action.  Faith  and  obedi- 
ence are  the  pathway  of  blessing. 

2.  Its  life  is  love,  mentioned  fifty-six  times 
in  the  Gospel  of  John.    Jonathan  Edwards  said, 


134  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

'^Love  is  the  active  working  principle  in  all 
true  faith.  It  is  the  very  soul  of  faith,  without 
which  faith  is  dead. '  ^  Faith  works,  but  always 
works  by  love.  Augustine  said,  *^  Christ  is  not 
valued  at  all  unless  valued  above  all.'' 

3.  Its  law  is  truth.  ^^Ye  shall  know  the  truth, 
and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free.'' 

4.  Its  fruit  is  holiness,  ^^  Without  which  no 
man  shall  see  the  Lord."  Christ  reveals  the 
possibility  of  holiness.  His  life  is  the  expres- 
sion of  practical  holiness.  He  has  given  the 
world  a  demonstration  of  true  living.  *^He 
went  about  doing  good." 

These  are  the  facts  that  make  individual 
spiritual  life.  Men  who  believe  these  facts  form 
a  spiritual  brotherhood.  A  brotherhood  so  be- 
lieving will  work. 


IX 

WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON 

Mr.  Holt. — Anything  I  could  say  to  empha- 
size the  importance  of  Bible  study  and  Bible 
class  work  in  the  Brotherhood  would  be  more 
than  superfluous;  and  anything  I  could  say  on 
Brotherhood  offices  and  opportunities  in  the 
presence  of  Andrew  Stevenson,  would  not  only 
be  superfluous,  but  almost  ridiculous.  Mr. 
Stevenson  will  take  charge  of  the  conference 
and  present  one  side  of  the  educational  oppor- 
tunities of  the  Brotherhood  in  Bible  class  work. 

Mr.  Stevenson. — This  afternoon  we  will  try 
to  confine  ourselves  to  the  one  side  of  this  sub- 
ject, which  you  will  note  from  the  program  is 
^*The  Educational  Offices  and  Opportunities  of 
the  Brotherhood.^'  Much  as  we  would  like  to 
have  a  great  many  addresses  and  a  great  many 
speeches  on  this  subject,  we  have  thought  it 
would  be  well,  in  view  of  the  great  fund  of  in- 
formation that  we  know  is  here,  to  confine  our- 
selves entirely  to  practical  suggestions  and  in- 
formation respecting  tried  and  successful 
methods  of  Bible  study  and  Bible  class  work. 
So  this  afternoon,  much  as  we  would  like  ex- 

135 


136  THE    PEESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

pressions  on  different  lines,  will  you  kindly 
remember  that  all  we  are  seeking  for  are  exposi- 
tions of  methods  of  successful  study  in  Bible 
classes. 

As  opening  the  conference  along  this  line,  we 
will  ask  Dr.  James  E.  Clarke,  editor  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian,  to  make  a  few. re- 
marks.   He  will  speak  on  this  subject. 

BIBLE  CLASSES^  BY  JAS.  E.   CLARKE,  D.D. 

The  general  theme  for  this  hour  is  so  wide 
in  its  scope  that  it  is  impossible  to  compass  it 
as  a  whole.  Consequently,  in  opening  the  dis- 
cussion, I  confine  myself  to  one  question  which 
seems  to  be  the  vital  question,  our  aim  being, 
of  course,  to  enlist  a  larger  number  of  men  in 
the  study  of  the  Bible,  for  their  own  good  and 
the  moral  welfare  of  the  race.  That  question 
is,  What  character  of  Bible  study  will  interest 
and  help  the  average  man  of  to-day? 

Let  it  be  understood  that  it  is  the  average 
man  we  are  to  think  about,  not  the  exceptional 
man.  It  is  not  the  aged  man  with  time  and 
inclination  for  devotional  reading,  not  the  man 
of  the  rural  districts  who  has  leisure  to  dis- 
cuss unessential  doctrinal  distinctions,  not  even 
the  young  man,  full  of  the  enthusiasm  of  youth, 
stirred  by  the  dreams  and  the  ^'long,  long 
thoughts"  of  boyhood  and  untroubled  by  the 
trying  experiences  which  will  fall  to  his  lot  a 
little  later.    Each  of  these  classes  needs  Bible 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  137 

study,  but  none  of  them  includes  the  average 
man.  That  average  man  is  in  office  or  shop  or 
factory  or  mine  and  wrestling  with  might  and 
main  with  the  problems  professional,  com- 
mercial, industrial,  and  above  all,  the  problems 
growing  out  of  contact  and  conflict  with  his 
fellow-men  in  the  hurry  and  hustle  of  modern 
life.  This  is  the  man  we  have  in  view.  What 
kind  of  Bible  study  will  interest  and  help  him? 

It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  this 
average  man  is  not  a  philosopher,  that  is,  he 
is  not  a  student  of  philosophy.  Nor  is  he  a 
student  of  history,  nor  of  literature,  nor  of 
science.  If  he  is  a  student  of  anything,  that 
thing  is  life.  Eeal  life  is  what  interests  him; 
life,  with  its  successes  and  failures,  its  trials 
and  temptations,  its  joys  and  its  sorrows,  its 
questions  of  right  and  wrong.  This  last  named 
element  of  life  must  not  be  overlooked.  Life 
is  full  of  questions  of  right  and  wrong  and  the 
average  man  is  interested  in  those  questions, 
particularly  in  their  relation  to  that  other  ques- 
tion of  success  or  failure.  Whatever  else  that 
average  man  may  read,  he  reads  the  newspapers. 
In  them  he  finds  the  stories  of  success  and  fail- 
ure of  all  kinds  and  the  opinions  about  the 
right  and  the  wrong  on  many  subjects.  He  is 
interested  not  only  in  the  facts  but  in  the  rea- 
sons for  them.  He  is  continually  asking  himself 
questions  about  the  facts  and  the  reasons. 

These  views  of  the  average  man  are  expressed 
not  as  a  result  of  any  theory  as  to  what  he  is 


138  THE    PEESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

or  OTiglit  to  be,  but  as  a  result  of  personal  ex- 
perience and  observation.  Moreover,  what  I 
shall  suggest  about  the  kind  of  Bible  study  will 
not  be  based  on  any  theory  of  theologian  or 
pedagogue,  but  simply  on  personal  experience 
with  groups  of  men  gathered  for  Bible  study. 
If  my  conclusions  concerning  what  the  average 
man  is  interested  in  are  correct,  then  it  follows 
that  the  kind  of  Bible  study  in  which  he  will 
be  interested  and  by  which  he  will  be  helped 
is  that  kind  of  Bible  study  which  has  to  do 
with  life.  Tlie  average  man  is  not  greatly  in- 
terested in  doctrine;  he  is  very  little  concerned 
about  theoretical  ethics;  he  is  not  apt  to  grow 
enthusiastic  over  the  abstract  of  any  kind;  he 
wants  the  concrete.  Consequently,  he  is  not 
likely  to  become  interested  in  the  doctrinal  por- 
tions of  Scripture.  He  has  little  interest  in  the 
past  and  no  great  concern  about  the  future. 
He  lives  in  the  present  and  has  his  hands  pretty 
full  dealing  with  the  daily  problems  which  he 
cannot  escape.  Hence,  neither  history  nor 
prophecy  appeals  to  him  very  strongly,  to  say 
nothing  of  Mosaic  laws  and  ceremonies. 

What  then  is  left?  Well,  there  is  much  left, 
and  all  of  it  may  be  comprehended  under  the 
one  term,  '^biblical  biography.'^  Men  will  be- 
come interested  in  the  lives  of  other  men,  even 
though  they  lived  long  ago,  and  the  men  of  to- 
day cannot  but  be  helped  by  a  genuine  stud}^ 
of  the  lives  of  those  men  whose  life  stories  are 
told   in  sacred  writ.     The  beautv  of  biblical 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  139 

biography  is  in  the  fact  that  it  reveals  not  only 
the  relations  of  the  men  of  the  Bible  to  other 
men  of  their  day  but  also  the  relation  of  those 
men  to  their  God.  In  no  other  book  can  the 
men  of  to-day  find  so  much  light  upon  the  prob- 
lem of  right  and  wrong  in  relation  to  the  prob- 
lem of  success  or  failure  as  in  that  Book  of 
books  which  never  leaves  out  of  sight  that  most 
important  relationship  of  life,  the  relation  of 
man  to  his  Maker. 

My  thought  is,  then,  that  Bible  study  for 
men  should  deal  chiefly  with  the  men  of  the 
Bible.  Of  course,  we  shall  touch  upon  history; 
of  course,  we  shall  discover  doctrine ;  we  cannot 
avoid  either;  but  the  thing  to  aim  at  is  the 
study  of  men.  But,  mark  you,  it  is  study  that 
should  be  encouraged.  This  average  man  of 
ours  does  not  have  the  studious  habit;  he  does 
not  like  to  study;  yet  I  believe  that  the  thing 
we  should  aim  at  is  to  bring  him  to  study  the 
men  of  the  Bible.  The  very  power  of  organiza- 
tion will  help  to  build  up  so-called  Bible  classes, 
especially  if  those  Bible  classes  are  similar  to 
clubs,  with  various  social  features  which  help 
to  hold  men  together.  Of  course,  too,  it  is  a 
good  thing  to  get  such  a  group  of  men  together 
and  have  some  able  speaker  lecture  to  them  on 
some  Bible  theme  or  Bible  character.  But  what 
I  plead  for  is  the  organization  of  classes  of  men 
who  shall  actually  study  the  men  of  the  Bible. 
They  should  be  helped  in  that  study.  Indeed, 
it  should  be  made  very  easy  for  them;  but  the 


140  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

design  should  be  to  have  men  discover  for 
themselves  what  kind  of  men  those  men  of  the 
Bible  were  and  how  they  lived,  and  why  they 
were  what  they  were  and  lived  as  they  did. 
Take,  for  instance,  such  an  Old  Testament  char- 
acter as  Joseph,  or  such  a  New  Testament  char- 
acter as  Paul,  and,  by  questions,  suggestions, 
assignments  of  passages  to  be  read,  lead  a  class 
of  men  to  discover  for  themselves  the  motives 
which  influenced  such  men,  their  development 
and  accomplishments,  their  influence  and  ex- 
ample, and,  above  all,  the  wonderful  interweav- 
ing of  these  lives,  actuated  by  their  own  motives 
and  purposes,  with  the  designs  of  the  infinite 
Ruler  of  the  universe.  Or  take  the  life  of  David 
and  study  it  in  connection  with  the  Psalms 
which  are  ascribed  to  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel. 
Here  are  stories  of  success  and  failure,  tales  of 
greatness  and  of  weakness,  accounts  of  sins 
committed  and  confessed,  which,  to  quote  a 
phrase  used  by  a  layman  at  the  Congregation- 
alist  Council,  will  grip  the  modem  man  ^' right 
where  he  lives.  * ' 

Or  take,  for  instance,  such  a  character  as 
Daniel,  a  striking  illustration  of  the  truly  reli- 
gious man — conscientious,  even  scrupulous,  in 
his  performance  of  religious  duties ;  courageous, 
heroic  to  the  point  of  martyrdom,  in  adhering 
to  his  convictions;  but  every  inch  a  man — a 
man  who  arose  from  obscurity,  from  being  a 
butt  of  ridicule,  and  became  the  man  of  power 
among  the  Medes  and  Persians;    a  man  who 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  141 

held  his  own  through  three  dynasties  in  the 
midst  of  all  the  rottenness  and  intrigue  of  an 
oriental  court.  Men  sometimes  say  that  a  man 
cannot  be  successful  and  be  religious.  Lead  such 
men  in  a  study  of  Daniel  and  let  them  learn 
that  the  very  reason  why  he  was  such  a  tre- 
mendous success  was  just  because  he  was  so 
truly  religious.  The  man  upon  whom  God  can 
depend  is  the  man  upon  whom  the  world  can 
depend,  and  the  world  is  ever  searching  for  the 
men  it  can  depend  upon. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  the  Man 
above  all  men  who  should  be  studied  is  that 
man  who  was  a  Man  above  all  men — the  Man 
of  Galilee.  In  my  judgment,  the  life,  the  char- 
acter and  the  teachings  of  Jesus,  the  Christ  is 
the  most  important,  the  most  fruitful  and  the 
most  interesting  Bible  theme  which  can  be  pre- 
sented to  men.  But  permit  me  to  emphasize  my 
conviction  that,  whether  we  direct  attention  to 
the  men  of  Old  Testament  or  New,  or  to  that 
Man  among  men,  we  should  emphasize  the 
human  element.  I  believe  that  Jesus  was  divine, 
but  the  creeds  of  the  church  which  declare  in 
stoutest  terms  that  he  was  ^^very  God''  neglect 
not  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  he  was  'Very 
man.''  I  am  ready  to  agree  that  prophets  and 
apostles  are  not  improperly  called  saints;  but 
I  insist  that  we  recognize  the  truth  that  they 
were  men.  They  were  men,  the  kind  of  men 
that  they  were  because  God  was  in  them,  in- 
spiring them   with   lofty   purpose,   energizing 


142  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

them  with  more  than  human  power,  directing 
them  with  infinite  wisdom,  crowning  them  with 
the  highest  and  holiest  success,  the  success  of 
accomplishing  a  divinely  appointed  mission. 
And  he — that  Man  of  Galilee — was  a  man;  a 
man  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities, 
tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are,  oppressed 
and  afflicted,  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted 
with  grief.  It  is  in  these  men  and  this  Man  that 
the  men  of  to-day  will  be  interested;  it  is  to 
these  men  and  this  Man  that  their  attention 
may  wisely  be  directed. 

Becoming  acquainted  with  these  men  of  old, 
the  men  of  to-day  will  come  to  learn  that  there 
can  be  no  true  success  without  true  manliness 
and  that  there  can  be  no  true  manliness  with- 
out the  vitalizing,  energizing  presence  of  the 
spirit  of  God.  Coming  to  really  know  the  Man 
of  Galilee,  men  will  come  to  realize  the  need 
of  the  redeeming,  transforming  life  of  the  Son 
of  God.  Then  the  nation  and  the  world  will 
come  to  have  what  they  most  need — redeemed 
manhood. 

Mr.  Stevenson. — To-day  at  noon  Dr.  Young- 
was  telling  about  an  experience  he  had  in  Ala- 
bama. At  the  conclusion  of  an  evening  service, 
he  asked  all  those  who  desired  to  become 
Christians  to  rise,  and  practically  all  the 
congregation  stood  up.  He  hardly  under- 
stood it,  but  the  next  day  the  secretary  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  said  to  him:    ^*Now,  Young,  I  just 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  143 

want  to  make  this  thing  clear  to  you.  Our 
people  are  very  hospitable,  and  they  did  not 
want  to  hurt  your  feelings  yesterday,  so 
they  thought  it  would  only  be  common  hospi- 
tality to  stand  up.'^ 

We  have  now  only  twenty-five  minutes  left  for 
this  subject,  so  we  will  only  have  two-minute 
talks,  but  there  will  not  be  time  for  all  of  you  to 
stand  up.  The  first  subject,  on  which  Dr.  S.  Ed- 
ward Young  will  speak,  is  '^The  Bible  Class  as 
the  Basis  for  Local  Brotherhood  Organization.'' 
As  pastor  of  the  famous  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Pittsburg,  and  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly's  Committee  which  brought  the 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood  into  being,  surely  Dr. 
Young  is  well  qualified  to  speak  at  this  time. 

Dr.  Young. — Every  fact  I  know,  every  fact 
that  has  come  to  my  attention,  agrees  with  this 
statement:  That  the  organization  for  men  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  recognizes  that  the 
Bible  class  is  the  best  basis  every  time,  and  that 
the  organization  of  Presbyterian  men  in  the  local 
church,  or  any  men's  organization  in  the  local 
church,  which  centers  round  any  other  idea, 
social  or  other,  nine  times  out  of  ten  dies.  If 
there  is  anybody  here  who  disputes  that,  I  wish 
he  would  stand  up.  It  is  perfectly  natural  that 
this  should  be  so.  The  Bible  is  the  center  of  our 
religion,  so  far  as  a  book  is  concerned,  as  knowl- 
edge is  concerned.  Men  will  not  keep  on  coming 
to  your  organization  unless  they  get  something 


144  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

out  of  it,  and  they  will  get  something  out  of  it 
only  as  the  Bible  is  the  center  of  the  organiza- 
tion. Suppers,  receptions,  banquets,  outings, 
and  the  rest  are  helpful  as  auxiliaries,  but  noth- 
ing can  take  the  place  of  the  main  purpose  of 
your  men's  organization. 

This  is  also  an  urgent  reason  because  of  the 
neglect  of  Bible  study  for  young  men.  The 
average  Sunday  school  does  splendidly,  but  it 
leaves  out  the  young  men.  Bible  study  that 
interests  the  men!    What  can  surpass  it! 

Mr.  Stevenson. — For  the  next  two  minutes 
we  will  listen  to  Mr.  Henry  S.  Osborne,  who  was 
the  founder  of  the  splendid  work  for  young  men 
in  the  Forty-first  Street  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Chicago,  the  outgrowth  of  which  is  the  Young 
Men's  Presbyterian  Union  of  that  city.  Mr. 
Osborne  is  now  the  leader  of  the  Young  Men's 
Bible  class  of  the  Buena  Memorial  Church  of 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Osborne. — What  we  want  is  facts  rather 
than  theories.  We  had  a  Bible  class  in  the 
Forty-first  Street  Church  like  the  average  Bible 
class.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  social  life,  a 
great  deal  of  yearning  for  spiritual  living,  but 
not  very  much  of  it.  It  was  a  subject  of  prayer 
with  some  of  us,  constant  prayer,  that  God 
would  awaken  the  spiritual  life  of  the  class. 
But  it  did  not  seem  to  come.  By  and  by,  one  day 
Campbell  Morgan  came  to  that  church,  and  the 


CINCINISrATI    CONVENTION  145 

result  was  that  a  little  prayer  meeting  was 
started  in  Harry  Carpenter's  house — one  of  the 
members  of  the  class — and  we  resolved  that  we 
would  come  every  Saturday  night  and  pray  for 
certain  members  of  the  class  who  were  not  yet 
saved,  and  for  the  awakening  of  the  spiritual 
life  of  the  class.  We  also  agreed  that,  whether 
there  were  many  or  few,  we  would  be  there  and 
would  not  lose  our  courage. 

Then  each  of  us  thought  of  young  men  in  the 
class  and  some  out  of  the  class,  and  we  made 
lists.  We  each  took  a  certain  number  whom  we 
had  specially  in  mind.  We  all  of  us  had  the 
whole  list  for  a  prayer  list  and  working  list,  but 
each  took  a  certain  number,  two  or  three.  The 
prayer  meetings  continued,  and  before  the  year 
was  over  eleven  of  those  men  whom  we  were 
praying  for  were  brought  into  the  kingdom. 
The  attendance  at  our  prayer  meetings  varied, 
sometimes  we  had  many,  sometimes  fewer; 
sometimes  the  light  seemed  to  get  very  low.  But 
there  was  one  thing  always  in  my  mind.  If 
there  were  few  of  us,  it  was  all  right.  Never 
be  worried  or  troubled  about  anything,  men, 
if  you  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  and  he  is  your 
Master.  So  when  there  were  but  few  of 
us,  we  found  sometimes  we  had  the  very  best 
meetings. 

Dear  friends,  there  was  another  prayer  meet- 
ing that  we  had  at  that  church.  At  ten  o'clock 
every  Sunday  morning  we  gather  to  pray  for 
the  services  of  the  day,  and  the  whole  church 


146  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

has  been  greatly  blessed.  Then  at  the  beginning 
of  onr  Bible  class  we  always  have  a  little  prayer. 
Pray,  pray,  pray,  and  God  will  hear  and  bnild 
up  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Bible  class  and  the 
church. 

Mr.  Stevenson. — There  will  be  two  brief  talks 
on  the  next  sub-heading.  The  first  will  be  by  Mr. 
William  A.  Peterson,  one  of  Chicago's  foremost 
business  men,  the  president  of  the  Young  Men 's 
Presbyterian  Union  of  that  city,  and  teacher  of 
the  Young  Men's  Bible  class  in  the  Edgewater 
Presbyterian  Church.  The  second  will  be  by 
Mr.  Fred  S.  Goodman,  the  secretary  of  the  In- 
ternational Committee  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  in  charge  of  Bible  study 
work. 

Mr.  Peterson. — As  in  commercial  life  to-day, 
we  have  to  specialize  to  be  of  the  greatest 
efficiency,  just  so  in  the  religious  life.  Some  of 
you  have  been  called  to  the  ministry — I  have 
been  called  to  the  Bible  class.  We  must  know 
our  limitations  and  our  lines  of  usefulness. 

How  to  develop  the  study  of  the  Bible !  With 
my  young  men  I  aim  to  get  them  to  study  the 
men  who  have  been  leaders;  and  if  you  are  a 
leader  you  must  have  nothing  to  be  excused  in 
your  life.  Then  again,  in  your  preaching  and 
teaching  you  want  to  be  sure  that  you  are  put- 
ting the  emphasis  in  the  right  place.  If,  after 
being  in  a  class  three  to  ^ve  years,  you  are  able 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  147 

to  write  Rollin's  Ancient  History  or  make  a  clay 
map  of  Palestine,  but  have  not  given  yourself  to 
Jesus,  you  have  missed  fire.  The  prime  pur- 
pose of  preaching  is  to  win  souls  to  Christ. 
Solomon  says :  ^  ^  He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise. ' ' 
If  you  want  your  class  to  study  the  Bible,  get 
them  on  fire  for  souls;  then  they  will  want  the 
material  for  winning  souls,  and  there  is  nothing 
like  the  word  of  God  for  this.  If  they  win  one 
or  two  they  will  want  to  win  more.  I  think  every 
human  being  can  lead  a  soul  to  Christ.  Find 
out  how  to  do  it  privately,  and  then  you  can  do 
it  publicly. 

Have  a  consuming  desire  to  bring  others  to 
Christ,  like  the  tiger  who  has  tasted  human  blood 
and  is  no  longer  content  with  any  other  diet. 

Mr.  Goodman. — I  come  to  5^ou  after  ten  thou- 
sand miles  of  travel  in  the  last  six  weeks,  and 
I  have  never  seen  men  so  keen  as  they  are  to-day. 
A  week  ago  last  Monday  morning,  I  met  seventy 
men  at  the  noon  hour  in  Topeka,  Kansas,  and 
that  class  has  met  twenty-five  times  in  October. 

I  have  just  two  thoughts.  The  first  is :  Put 
things  in  their  right  order.  The  first  thing  is 
not  attendance.  We  are  in  grave  danger  of 
thinking  that  the  one  thing  is  to  get  a  crowd. 
It  is  not  the  main  thing.  Attendance  is  impor- 
tant, but  big  classes  have  this  thing  before  them ; 
they  are  to  be  the  feeders  for  smaller  groups. 

The  second  thing  is  this:  Meeting  the  actual 
needs    of   men — the    needs    of   their    everyday 


148  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

lives.  And  you  can  be  perfectly  confident  of  one 
thing,  that  every  man  in  your  group  feels  every 
day  the  down-pulling  of  sin.  You  can  be  abso- 
lutely sure  of  that.  We  have  no  time  to  spend 
on  the  study  of  issues,  but  when  men  find  you 
meet  their  needs,  you  have  won  them. 

A  week  ago  last  Monday  morning  there  was  a 
political  convention  in  Cleveland,  and  across  the 
street  from  the  big  meeting,  where  there  were 
bands  playing  and  lots  of  red  fire,  there  was  a 
men's  Bible  class  with  fifty-nine  in  attendance. 
These  men  have  come  to  think  they  must  have 
that  class  every  week. 

When  you  meet  the  needs  of  men  they  will 
come  without  shadow  of  doubt.  But  the  goal 
of  the  Bible  class  is  not  attendance,  it  is  not  the 
development  of  the  men,  primarily,  but  the 
reaching  of  the  vast  number  of  men  outside  who 
will  not  come  to  hear  us,  but  who  will  come  if 
they  get  what  they  need  by  coming.  The  time 
is  rapidly  jDassing  when  we  can  be  content  with 
absent  treatment.  The  vast  number  outside  will 
not  come,  but  we  can  go  where  they  are.  Then 
let  us  go  where  they  are. 

Mr.  Stevenson. — I  think  some  of  us  did  not 
know  when  we  came  to  the  convention  that  Mr. 
Goodman  is  a  Presbyterian.  Both  he  and  Mr. 
Gordon,  who  spoke  this  morning,  are  far  better 
known  for  their  activity  along  interdenomi- 
national lines  than  as  the  true  blue  Presbyterians 
which  they  surely  are.    We  have  great  privileges 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  149 

and  possibilities  in  this  Brotherhood.  Mr.  Allan 
Sutherland,  of  Philadelphia,  one  of  the  best 
known  authorities  on  work  for  young  men  we 
have  in  the  country,  will  now  speak  on  the  sub- 
ject, ^'Auxiliary  Features  of  Bible  Class  Work, 
Social,  Literary,  Athletic,  etc.''  Mr.  Suther- 
land's long  connection  with  the  Brotherhood  of 
Andrew  and  Philip  peculiarly  qualifies  him  to 
speak  on  this  subject. 

Mr.  Sutheeland. — In  our  Bible  class  work 
great  emphasis  is  laid,  first,  on  the  spiritual  life, 
and  then,  taking  the  social  life,  we  try  to  make 
every  man  feel  at  home.  The  minute  we  find  a 
man  we  bring  him  into  the  Bible  class  and  in- 
troduce him  to  the  other  men  in  the  class.  "We 
have  a  social  committee  who  are  continually  de- 
veloping plans  along  social  lines.  For  instance, 
we  have  had  every  month  a  social  evening, 
meeting  at  the  different  homes  of  the  members 
of  the  class.  Then  during  the  past  year  we  have 
had  an  athletic  field,  where  the  young  men  have 
had  their  baseball  and  now  their  football  games. 

We  also  urge  every  man  in  the  class  to  come 
to  the  Wednesday  evening  prayer  meeting,  and 
at  that  time  we  manage  it  so  that  these  men  will 
be  introduced  to  everybody  in  the  church  that 
we  can  come  across.  And  so  our  aim  is  to  tie  a 
man  down  to  our  own  church  home ;  work  for  the 
interests  of  our  own  church.  We  know  that  in 
a  large  city  there  are  attractions  which  appeal 
to  the  man  away  from  the  church,  and  so  we 


150  THE    PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

try  to  make  that  as  strong'  a  point  as  possible  in 
our  work.  We  have  found  that  we  have  men  in 
our  church  to-day  who  were  brought  into  the 
church  through  the  Bible  class,  but  more  par- 
ticularly through  the  social  efforts  of  the  men 
in  that  class.  They  found  they  were  *' hail-fel- 
low well  met, ' '  and  they  wanted  to  come  back  to 
that  class  again,  to  enjoy  the  fellowship  of  the 
men. 

We  are  all  banded  together  in  one  cause,  and 
the  field  is  broad  and  wide,  and  if  we  will  only 
lay  a  little  stress  on  the  social  side,  and  help 
men  to  help  themselves,  they  will  come  out  and 
declare  themselves  for  Jesus  Christ. 

Mr.  Stevenson. — In  the  open  discussion 
which  now  follows,  be  careful  to  see  that  every- 
thing you  say  comes  from  practical  experience; 
do  not  give  us  theories — tell  us  what  has  taken 
place. 

Some  people  seem  to  think  that  plans  for  Bible 
classes  successfully  adopted  in  the  large  city 
churches  are  not  feasible  in  the  country 
churches.  Not  a  great  while  ago  some  of  us 
were  invited  to  visit  one  of  the  churches  in  our 
Presbytery  six  miles  from  a  railroad.  We  found 
a  young  men^s  Bible  class  with  an  attendance 
of  thirty-five,  every  one  of  whom  had  to  drive 
from  a  half  mile  to  six  miles  to  be  present. 
There  was  also  a  young  ladies'  class  of  thirty- 
nine,  which  was  a  surprise  to  us.  The  problems 
of  the  country  church  are  practically  the  same 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  151 

as  the  city,  only  we  have  to  work  in  a  different 
way. 

The  first  three  minutes  will  be  confined  to 
*^The  Bible  Class  as  the  Basis  for  Local 
Brotherhood  Organization/'  Mr.  F.  E.  Hig- 
gins,  of  Minnesota,  better  known  as  the  sky  pilot 
to  the  lumber  jacks  of  the  North,  will  be  the 
first  to  speak. 

Mr.  Higgins,  of  Minnesota. — I  believe  I  was 
one  of  the  few  who  stood  in  this  audience  this 
afternoon,  indicating  that  I  was  brought  into 
the  church  through  the  Bible  class.  From  thir- 
teen to  twenty  I  was  a  member  of  a  Bible  class 
in  a  Presbyterian  church  in  northern  Canada. 

At  eighteen  I  was  brought  to  the  Lord  Jesus ; 
two  weeks  later  a  dear  friend  of  mine  was  con- 
verted, and  we  went  after  a  third;  then  we  or- 
ganized a  prayer  meeting,  and  in  a  few  years 
nine  of  our  young  men  were  in  the  ministry. 
Thank  God  for  the  Bible  class ! 

Go  back  to  your  different  homes,  and  if  you 
have  a  class  of  three  or  four  boys,  try  to  bring 
one  of  them  to  Christ.  You  have  the  greatest 
opportunity.  You  do  not  need  to  be  preachers; 
if  you  have  a  class  of  boys  you  can  convert  the 
whole  community,  if  these  boys  are  brought  to 
the  Lord  Jesus. 

A  Delegate. — What  is  your  experience  as  to 
a  division  in  the  Bible  class  between  voung  men 
and  old  men  f 


152  THE   PBESBYTERIAN   BROTHEKHOOD 

A  Delegate. — I  think  there  ought  to  be  a 
Bible  class  for  the  young  men  up  to  about  twenty 
or  twenty-five,  and  another  for  older  men.  What 
I  want  to  say  is  this :  I  observe  that  when  a  man 
begins  to  study  the  Bible  he  is  very  anxious  to 
give  his  neighbor  what  he  has  found.  In  my 
church  the  Bible  class,  in  order  to  show  that  we 
could  do  some  definite  work,  asked  permission 
to  take  charge  of  one  evening  service  a  month. 
I  know  of  one  instance  where  a  judge,  a  splendid 
fellow,  was  brought  to  Christ  through  our  Bible 
class,  by  hearing  a  speech  on  the  theme,  ^'Just 
as  I  Am.''  At  the  end  of  the  service  the  judge 
walked  up  and  said,  ^^If  I  can  come  just  as  I 
am,  I'll  come." 

Mr.  Stevenson. — We  want  to  dwell  on  the 
feature  of  organized  work  for  the  Brotherhood. 
In  Chicago,  in  the  last  five  years,  all  the  organi- 
zations that  have  been  disbanded  have  been 
social,  literary,  or  athletic  clubs.  So  far  as  I 
know,  there  has  never  been  an  organized  Bible 
class  disbanded,  clearly  demonstrating  to  our 
satisfaction  that  the  Bible  class  is  the  proper 
basis  for  men's  work  in  the  church. 

Mr.  Barber,  President  of  the  Young  Men's 
Bible  Class,  Third  Church,  Chicago. — Under  the 
head  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  class,  I  think 
there  is  nothing  that  develops  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  Bible  class  more  than  work  outside  of  the 
church.    Our  class  has  been  organized,  I  think. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  153 

about  thirty  years,  and  for  more  than  eighteen 
years  we  have  been  working  in  the  Presbyterian 
Hospital  in  Chicago,  and  we  also  have  men  who 
take  charge  of  the  meeting  every  Thursday 
night,  and  I  can  safely  say  that  we  have  nothing 
that  brings  the  boys  together  so  much  as  that 
work.  It  has  done  more  than  all  the  dinners 
and  banquets  we  could  have  had,  if  we  had  them 
every  night  in  the  week.  We  have  fifteen  or 
twenty  men  going  to  the  Presbyterian  Hospital 
doing  a  work  there  that  not  only  benefits  the 
class  and  the  church,  but  strengthens  their  own 
spiritual  life.  And  where  a  class  has  an  op- 
portunity for  doing  definite  work,  they  will  find 
they  help  themselves  by  helping  others. 

Me.  W.  F.  Morton. — What  is  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  church!  How  are  we  to  get  it?  We  are 
told  in  the  twenty-second  chapter  of  Revelation, 
and  the  third  verse,  *^And  his  servants  shall 
serve  him.'^  It  means  service,  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  church.  It  is  not  like  Pat,  who  met  Mike, 
and  said  to  him,  ^^Mike,  what  is  a  socialist T' 
Said  Mike:  **I  am  surprised  that  a  man  like 
you  should  not  know  that.  If  I  had  a  million, 
I  would  give  you  ^ve  hundred  thousand;  if  I 
had  fourteen  houses,  I'd  give  you  seven;  that 
would  be  a  socialist.''  ''Well,"  said  Pat, 
**if  you  had  two  goats  would  you  give  me 
one ! "  ' '  I  would  not, ' '  said  Mike.  ' '  I  have  two 
goats. ' ' 

The  point  is  right  here;   Are  you  x^eady,  am 


154  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

I  ready  for  that  service  that  we  are  talking 
about?  Have  we  the  fire  of  God's  Holy  Spirit 
so  that  we  can  go  ont  and  get  hold  of  men  and 
bring  them  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ !  If  we  are 
consecrated  we  will  have  no  trouble  in  building 
up  the  Bible  class. 

Dr.  McClure,  Detroit,  Michigan. — The  Pres- 
b}i:erian  Brotherhood  of  Detroit  found,  as  is  a 
well-known  fact,  that  many  men  who  had  been 
attending  Sunday  school  all  their  lives  did  not 
know  half  the  things  that  are  in  the  Bible,  and, 
realizing  that  if  you  want  to  learn  anything  you 
must  begin  at  the  beginning,  we  have  come  down 
to  the  absolute  study  of  the  Bible.  We  also  have 
found  great  help  in  the  series  of  pamphlets  pre- 
pared by  Eev.  Dr.  Barkley,  and  which  one  hun- 
dred and  seven  Presbyterian  churches  are 
studying  at  the  same  time.  Nothing  has  ever 
taken  the  grip  on  the  men  that  these  pamphlets 
have. 

Mr.  Stevenson. — The  question  of  different 
lines  of  study  in  Bible  classes  is  one  on  which 
we  might  well  spend  a  half  hour,  if  we  had  the 
time.  Mr.  Holt,  our  vice  president,  who  is  a 
teacher  of  the  Young  Men's  Bible  Class  in  the 
Second  Church,  of  Chicago,  has  a  very  inter- 
esting outline  that  he  has  prepared  himself,  and 
I  understand  it  has  been  used  with  great  success 
among  the  men  of  the  church.  We  also  find 
quite  a  number  of  churches  where  they  have 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  155 

prepared  their  own  outlines,  while  the  majority 
use  the  International  Lessons. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  give  you  an  all-inclusive 
motto  which  our  class  at  the  Forty-first  Street 
Church,  in  Chicago,  used  for  some  years,  and 
which  was  of  great  help  to  us.  ^^The  class  is  a 
Brotherhood  for  the  cultivation  of  supreme  love 
for  God  and  companionship  with  him,  and  for 
unselfish  self-denying  love  for  each  other  and 
our  fellow-men.  This  is  accomplished,  first,  by 
13rayer;  second,  by  Bible  study;  third,  by 
fellowship ;  and  fourth,  by  service.  ^ ' 

Mr.  Holt. — The  between-times  seem  to  fall  to 
me.  You  have  observed  that  in  the  discussion  of 
this  subject,  the  name  of  Dr.  Dinsmore,  of  the 
Lafayette  Avenue  Church,  Brooklyn,  appears 
on  the  program,  but  he  has  not  been  called  upon. 
He  could  not  possibly  be  here,  and  the  time  has 
been  so  fully  taken  up  that  there  has  been  no 
chance  for  explanation.  We  have,  however,  a 
representative  from  the  same  church,  who 
brings  us  a  beautiful  and  cheering  message  from 
one  who  is  especially  dear  to  the  men  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Eev.  Mr.  Anthony,  as- 
sistant pastor  of  the  Lafayette  Avenue  Church, 
brings  a  message  from  the  venerable  and  be- 
loved Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 

Rev.  Mk.  Anthony. — Dr.  Cuyler  wanted  to 
send  a  greeting  to  the  Presbyterian  Brother- 
hood.   I  went  to  see  him  Monday  morning,  but 


156  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

he  was  unable  to  write  out  the  message,  as  he 
was  just  recovering  from  an  attack  of  indiges- 
tion. And  before  he  gave  the  greeting  he  said 
this  word:  That  he  never  wanted  to  live 
as  he  wants  to  live  to-day.  He  never  felt 
there  was  such  an  opportunity  for  live  men 
to  do  work  for  the  church.  And  that  comes  from 
a  man  eighty-six  years  of  age.  His  message 
is  this : 

'^Dr.  Cuyler  sends  his  love,  and  prays  to  God 
for  an  organization  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
that  aims  at  the  development  of  the  spiritual 
power  of  her  men.'' 

(Kesolved,  by  rising  vote,  that  the  Committee 
on  Correspondence  be  instructed  to  send  a  greet- 
ing to  Dr.  Cuyler  from  the  Brotherhood.) 

Mr.  Holt. — I  am  sure  you  will  be  glad  to 
have  a  word  of  greeting  from  our  beloved  Mod- 
erator, Dr.  Roberts,  who  has  come  on  the  plat- 
form within  the  last  few  minutes.  Let  us  greet 
him  standing. 

Dr.  Roberts. — It  is  a  great  joy  to  me  to  see 
this  second  annual  convention  of  the  Brother- 
hood. With  many  other  of  the  ministers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  I  longed  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Brotherhood.  We  rejoice  that  the 
Brotherhood  has  become  a  living  force.  We 
have  felt  for  years  that  the  church  needed  just 
such  an  organization  to  round  out  the  fullness 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  157 

of  its  power  for  the  accomplishment  of  God's 
purposes  in  this  land. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  this  fall  to  visit  the 
Synods  of  onr  chnrch  from  Texas  to  New  Jer- 
sey, and  everywhere  I  have  found  enthusiasm 
for  the  Brotherhood,  for  men 's  work. 

I  bring  to  you  greetings  from  the  Synods  from 
as  far  south  as  Waxahachie,  and  as  far  east  as 
Atlantic  City,  and  say  to  you  that  they  are  look- 
ing to  this  convention  to  accomplish  further 
work  for  men  in  our  church,  and  to  advance 
every  Christian  interest  greatly  during  the  next 
year. 

Just  one  further  word  as  to  the  Assembly.  It 
is  my  privilege  to  be  a  member  of  the  Committee 
of  Arrangements  for  the  next  General  As- 
sembly. Under  the  plan  of  the  Brotherhood,  it 
will  report  to  the  General  Assembly.  It  would 
aid  the  Committee  of  Arrangements  greatly  in 
connection  with  the  next  Assembly  if  you  would 
empower  an  officer  of  the  Brotherhood  to  request 
the  Committee  of  Arrangements  to  endeavor  to 
secure  the  appointment  of  a  public  meeting  of 
the  Brotherhood  at  the  next  Assembly.  We  need 
such  a  meeting;  we  need  to  give  expression  to 
the  desire  of  the  church  and  the  desire  of  the 
Brotherhood  to  go  forward  hand  in  hand, 
winning  men  in  this  land  for  Jesus  Christ. 

I  thank  you  for  this  opportunity. 

Mr.  Holt. — Now  we  come  to  the  close  of  the 
first  part  of  the  conference  upon  *' Educational 


158  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Offices  and  Opportunities  of  the  Brotherhood," 
and  take  up,  under  the  same  general  head, 
^^PresLyterian  Faith  and  Activities,''  and  it  is 
a  high  privilege  that  the  discussion  will  be  led 
by  one  so  competent  to  handle  it,  and  one  so 
well  known  in  the  church  as  President  J.  D. 
Mojffat,  of  Washington  and  Jeif erson  College. 


PEESBYTERIAN    FAITH    AND    ACTIVI- 
TIES 

BY  PRESIDENT  J.  D.  MOFFATT,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

I  like  the  combination  expressed  in  this  sub- 
ject— Faith  and  Activity.  Faith  that  is  sincere 
and  founded  on  the  truth  will  manifest  itself 
in  useful  activity.  Sometimes  God  in  his  provi- 
dence renders  activity  impossible,  and  faith  must 
find  its  manifestation  in  waiting  and  patiently 
hoping  for  the  salvation  of  God.  But  these  in- 
stances are  of  rare  occurrence ;  ordinarily  faith 
must  find  its  expression  in  works.  The  reason 
of  it  is  that  the  faith  which  distinguishes  the 
Christian  from  those  who  are  not  Christians  is 
a  personal  trust  in  Jesus  as  Lord  and  Master, 
whose  commands  must  be  obeyed,  whose  ex- 
ample must  be  followed;  and  there  is  no  way 
in  which  we  can  exhibit  our  personal  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ  but  by  varied  forms  of  activity. 
We  must  say  with  the  Apostle  James :  ^  ^  I  will 
show  you  my  faith  by  my  works ;  do  you  show 
me  your  faith  without  your  works, '^ — if  you 
can. 

I  like  the  adjective  that  is  employed — *^  Pres- 
byterian. ' '    For  I  believe  that  the  time  has  come 

159 


160  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

when  we  can  be  Presbyterians  withont  being  of- 
fensively sectarian.  Once  that  may  have  been 
impossible,  when  the  various  branches  of  the 
Christian  Church  were  competing  against  each 
other ;  but  since  that  day  is  past,  it  is  not  at  all 
likely  ever  to  return,  and  we  can  give  more  and 
more  attention  to  our  distinctive  practices  and 
principles  without  reflecting  upon  the  distinctive 
practices  and  principles  of  others  who  are  en- 
gaged in  the  same  great  work.  You  might  ask, 
in  this  connection,  what  are  the  distinctive  prin- 
ciples of  the  Presbyterian  faith,  and  I  could  not 
give  you  an  answer  that  would  be  at  all  com- 
plete or  satisfactory  in  the  limited  time  we  can 
allow  to  this  subject.  But  I  will  venture  to  sum 
up  my  own  conception  of  the  Presbyterian  faith, 
if  it  can  be  distinguished  from  any  other  kind 
of  Christian  faith.  I  do  not  do  this  for  the  bene- 
fit of  my  ministerial  brethren;  they  spent  three 
years  in  a  theological  seminary  to  obtain  that 
knowledge.  But  I  fear  they  have  not  been  so 
careful  to  impart  that  knowledge  to  their  church 
members  as  the  seminary  faculty  was  once  care- 
ful to  see  to  it  that  they  learned  the  fundamental 
principles  of  Presbyterianism ;  and,  therefore,  I 
may  be  permitted  to  say,  in  an  elementary  way, 
to  the  laymen  present,  that  the  fundamental  fea- 
ture of  the  Presbyterian  faith  is  the  belief  that 
God  is  working  according  to  a  plan,  a  plan  of 
his  own  designing,  intended  to  bring  in  a  reign  of 
righteousness  in  our  world,  in  the  execution  of 
which  he  employs  men.    As  was  so  admirably 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  161 

explained  by  Mr.  Gordon  this  morning,  we  bring 
back  the  prodigal  to  God's  hearth  fire  over  a 
human  pathway.  We  must,  therefore,  employ 
our  means  to  the  best  of  our  ability,  and  have 
no  right  whatever  to  expect  that  the  plan  of  God 
in  bringing  in  the  reign  of  righteousness  will  be 
executed  without  our  activity.  Earnest,  faith- 
ful and  persevering  must  be  our  use  of  all  the 
means  which  God  has  placed  at  our  disposal. 

But  the  question  is  asked,  how  can  God  carry 
out  his  plans  and  yet  be  dependent  in  any  meas- 
ure upon  human  activity!  Very  early  in  my 
ministry  I  had  that  question  answered  for  me  by 
a  Methodist  bishop.  I  was  beginning  my  min- 
istry in  the  city  of  Wheeling,  and  the  Methodist 
Conference  was  held  there,  presided  over  by  that 
prince  of  preachers  and  leaders  in  the  church, 
Bishop  Simpson.  When  he  wished  to  exhort  the 
young  men  who  had  just  been  ordained  to  the 
gospel  ministry,  and  to  persuade  the  older  min- 
isters whose  changes  of  location  had  been  an- 
nounced in  the  Conference,  to  accept  their  as- 
signments in  good  spirit,  he  fell  back  on  the  good 
old  Presbyterian  doctrine  of  predestination  for 
their  comfort  and  encouragement.    He  said : 

'^Brethren,  I  once  heard  Charles  Spurgeon 
preach,  and  I  was  fully  satisfied  that  bis  success 
in  his  ministry  was  due  to  the  fact  that  he  be- 
lieved that  he  was  foreordained  from  all  eternity 
to  save  souls  that  morning,  and  he  went  at  it  as  if 
he  were  confident  it  was  to  be  accomplished. 
And  you  young  men,  about  to  enter  into  these 


162  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

new  fields,  you  must  go  to  them  regarding  them, 
not  as  the  allotment  of  presiding  elder  or 
bishop,  but  as  the  allotment  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence. Work  in  your  fields  as  if  you  were  ac- 
tually carrying  out  the  plan  of  God;  work  with 
earnestness  and  fidelity  and  contentment,  be- 
cause it  is  the  plan  of  God. ' ' 

And  then,  still  further  to  illustrate  the  rela- 
tionship between  the  human  and  divine,  he  told 
a  little  incident  that  had  occurred  in  the  home  of 
a  friend,  between  a  mother  and  her  little  daugh- 
ter. The  daughter  wished  to  do  an  errand,  but 
the  door  was  closed.  The  mother  told  the 
daughter  to  go  to  the  door  and  open  it,  and  this 
she  tried  to  do.  She  stood  on  her  tiptoes,  but 
could  only  barely  touch  the  knob.  Then  the 
mother  went  to  her  rescue.  She  did  not  open  the 
door,  but  she  put  her  hand  under  the  out- 
stretched arm,  pressed  it  gently  upward  until  the 
hand  could  grasp  the  knob  and  open  the  door. 
It  was  the  mother  that  opened  the  door,  but  it 
was  the  child  that  opened  the  door,  also.  The 
mother  would  not  open  the  door  without  the 
child's  utmost  effort,  and  the  child  could  not 
open  it  without  the  mother 's  help. 

We  are  workers  together  with  God,  and  we 
need  not  bother  ourselves  very  much  about  the 
problem  of  drawing  a  sharp  line  between  what 
God  does  and  what  we  are  to  do,  if  we  are 
only  faithful  and  earnest  in  the  discharge  of 
the  work  which  God  has  foreordained  shall  be 
done  by  us. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  163 

Brethren,  if  I  did  not  believe  that  God  is  gov- 
erning this  world  according  to  plan,  I  should  be 
tempted  to  make  the  suggestion  to  him  that  a 
good  plan  would  be  an  improvement.  If  I  did 
not  believe  he  is  able  to  carry  out  his  purposes, 
how  could  I  engage  in  his  service  with  any  con- 
fidence that  I  would  accomplish  something 
thereby?  Looking  back  over  the  history  of  the 
world,  and  over  the  ages  that  evolutionary  sci- 
ence describes  as  the  preparation  of  the  world 
for  the  abode  of  man,  I  can  see  there  has 
been  a  constant  adherence  to  plan;  and  as 
in  times  past  God  made  use  of  the  existing 
agencies  to  accomplish  his  work,  so  do  I  believe 
that  he  will  make  use  of  men  and  women 
who  will  be  faithful  in  their  activities,  to 
carry  into  effect  his  high  and  holy  plans  in  all 
the  future  ages. 

Let  no  man  entertain  for  one  moment  the  sup- 
position that  there  is  no  connection  between 
Presbyterian  faith  and  the  highest  development 
of  activity.  In  my  judgment,  there  is  no  church 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  to-day  that  ought  to  be 
characterized  by  such  lives  of  confident  and 
persevering  activity,  as  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  just  because  it  is  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

We  cannot  take  time  to  dwell  upon  the  activi- 
ties of  our  church,  for  I  have  already  consumed 
as  much  time  as  I  am  allowed.  But  with  this  in- 
troduction I  will  ask  you  to  consider  some  of  the 
forms  in  which  the  Brotherhood  may  contribute 


164  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

to  the  advancement  and  well-being  of  our  church 
at  large. 

The  first  of  these  that  I  would  mention  is 
'^More  system  in  securing  contributions  for  the 
benevolent  work  of  the  church.'^  It  is  my  be- 
lief that  the  Brotherhood  in  each  church  may  do 
more  toward  establishing  systematic  and  con- 
scientious giving  to  all  the  benevolences  of  our 
church,  than  has  been  accomplished  in  twenty- 
five  years  by  all  the  resolutions  that  have  been 
adopted  by  our  General  Assembly.  Year  after 
year  we  have  commended  to  our  churches  and 
our  people  this  conscientious  and  systematic  giv- 
ing. Now  the  time  has  come  when  we  must  put 
it  into  operation,  and  I  can  easily  see  how  the 
local  Brotherhoods,  by  canvassing  the  congrega- 
tion and  asking  contributions  from  every  man, 
may  be  able  to  report  by  the  first  of  October  of 
each  year  just  how  much  money  may  be  ex- 
pected from  that  particular  church  for  all  the 
benevolences  of  our  church.  If  we  can  have  this 
plan  introduced  into  a  church,  that  church  will 
not  only  soon  be  giving  more  money,  but  with 
less  etfort  and  more  comfort.  And  as  the  plan 
is  generally  adopted,  we  shall  cease  to  hear  the 
cry,  '^We  are  in  great  danger  of  a  deficit  at  the 
end  of  the  year. ' '  The  thing  to  do  is  to  see  that 
these  business  methods,  with  which  men  are  fa- 
miliar in  secular  enterprises,  are  applied  in  the 
great  work  of  our  church. 

Another  form  of  promoting  the  well-being  of 
our  church,  is  to  extend  information  as  to  what 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  165 

is  taking  place  in  the  church,  something  of  the 
doctrine  and  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
May  we  not  have  classes  organized  in  our 
churches  for  the  study  of  some  of  these  ques- 
tions, so  that  our  activity  and  faith  may  have 
their  basis  in  genuine  knowledge?  I  will  not 
dwell  on  these  suggestions ;  I  throw  them  out  for 
vour  consideration. 

We  shall  now  have  the  pleasure  of  listening  to 
Mr.  J.  E.  McAfee,  of  the  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
sions, who  will  open  the  general  discussion. 

Mr.  McAfee. — I  take  it  to  be  my  function  to 
be  general,  and  shall  presume  therefore  to  be 
very  general. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  makes  progress  by 
putting  its  best  foot  forward,  and  then  bring- 
ing the  other  foot  up  and  then  doing  it  again — 
and  then  doing  it  again. 

The  best  foot  which  any  church  can  put  for- 
ward is  its  Session.  There  are  some  churches 
laboring  under  the  fond  delusion  that  they  can 
drag  behind  them  a  club-footed  Session.  Banish 
the  thought !  Forget  it !  Do  not  imagine  such  a 
thing !  It  is  absolutely  impossible  to  drag  along 
gracefully,  or  really  get  anywhere  in  any  man- 
ner with  an  incapable  Session.  Suppose  we 
quit  fooling,  go  home  and  get  men,  good  capable 
men,  on  our  Sessions — be  that  sort  if  we  are  on 
church  Sessions. 

What  we  need  for  the  local  church  work  and 
for  the  larger  church  work  is  an  appreciation  of 


166  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  principle  of  representation  fundamental  in 
Presbyterianism.  The  very  best  and  most  vig- 
orous elements  of  our  church  life  must  be  put 
in  a  position  of  constitutional  leadership.  It  is 
idle  to  seek  to  get  over  or  around  or  above  an 
inefficient  and  unrepresentative  Session.  The 
multiplication  of  unrelated  and  irresponsible 
organizations  only  ends  in  confusion.  We  may 
seem  for  the  time  to  be  moving,  but  unless  re- 
sponsive and  aggressive  constitutional  leader- 
ship can  be  attained  and  maintained,  our  ac- 
tivity issues  in  a  whirring  of  wheels.  We  never 
get  any  real  where  by  such  fussiness.  Some 
Sessions  to-day  do  not  really  represent  much  of 
anything  except  a  decadent  theory  and  a  per- 
sistent negligence  on  the  part  of  the  church  rep- 
resented. If  a  renewed  life  and  quickened  ac- 
tivity in  a  church  does  not  immediately  reflect 
itself  in  the  church's  Session,  the  yeasty  fer- 
ment will  leave  behind  it  only  more  or  less 
sourness  of  odor  and  flavor.  Some  method 
by  which  a  church,  aroused  to  get  up  and  go, 
shall  be  wisely  and  aggressively  led  on  is 
the  desideratum  of  the  hour.  And  such  a 
provision  is  most  admirably  made  in  our 
very  constitution.  Each  church  owes  it  to 
itself  and  all  the  eternal  values  for  which 
it  stands  to  get  and  keep  a  Session  which 
really  represents  its  best  and  most  aggressive 
life. 

Next  above  the  Session  is  the  Presbytery.    A 
good  many  of  us  here  perhaps  do  not  know 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  167 

mucli  about  Presbytery.  I  attended  a  large 
Presbytery  not  long  ago  where  there  were  just 
eight  laymen  present,  and  I  have  attended  some 
where  there  was  not  one  officially  present.  I 
wrote  not  long  since  to  a  minister,  asking  him 
to  bring  an  important  matter  before  the  laymen 
of  his  Presbytery.  He  replied  that  he  would 
gladly  anticipate  doing  so,  if  he  had  the  slight- 
est, glimmering  hope  that  any  laymen  would  be 
on  hand. 

Those  who  do  not  attend  meetings  of  Presby- 
tery miss  half  their  life.  There  is  an  endless 
variety.  The  increasing  number  who  go  about 
and  actually  accomplish  to-day's  pressing  busi- 
ness of  the  kingdom  are  sure  to  attend,  of 
course,  and  the  other  sort  are,  at  least  for  one 
of  a  philosophic  turn,  interesting.  The  way 
some  moderators  are  elected  and  do  not  moder- 
ate; the  way  business  is  set  about  and  is 
turned  into  anything  else  but  business ;  the  way 
standing  committees  justify  their  name  and 
their  office  by  standing  to  read  interminable  and 
stereotyped  reports;  in  short,  the  way  some 
Presbyteries  are  run  is,  to  put  the  case  suc- 
cinctly, interesting. 

Synod,  the  next  above,  is,  you  understand, 
Presbytery  grown  big — with  modifications.  And 
some  Synods  are  equally  interesting. 

But  it  is  exceedingly  cheap  wit  which  is  ex- 
pended in  making  light  of,  or  throwing  slight 
upon  our  church  councils.  A  leader  prominent 
in  the  church  remarked  to  me  the  other  day: 


168  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

*^I  tell  you  this  General  Assembly  business 
seems  to  me  to  have  become  pretty  much  of  a 
farce.''  Even  if  he  thought  that,  there  was  a 
glaring  indictment  of  himself  in  the  confession. 
He  has  the  sort  of  General  Assembly  he  de- 
serves. It  is  quite  the  General  Assembly  we  all 
deserve.  We  have  the  church  Sessions  we  de- 
serve. We  have  the  Presbyteries  and  Synods 
we  deserve.  It  is  not  necessary  that  any  capable 
church  should  have  an  incapable  Session.  It 
is  not  necessary  that  church  courts  should 
spend  valuable  time  in  profitless  discussion.  It 
is  not  necessary  that  elders  and  other  lay  mem- 
bers of  the  church  should  absent  themselves 
from  the  higher  church  councils.  It  is  not 
true  that  laymen  are  indifferent ;  this  gathering 
and  the  Brotherhood  movement  offer  denial. 
It  is  not  true  that  laymen  have  not  time  to  de- 
vote to  church  business.  They  have  all  the 
time  there  is,  and  when  that  runs  out  they  can 
make  more.  I  have  questioned  a  good  many 
laymen  at  this  point  and  the  final  plea  is  not  a 
lack  of  time. 

What  we  need  is  not  more  organizations — yes, 
we  do;  we  need  ten  thousand  organizations  in 
every  church,  if  each  one  of  them  can  do  some- 
thing worth  while  and  will  do  it.  We  do  not 
need  more  prayer — yes,  we  do ;  we  need  to  learn 
from  the  apostle's  suggestion  to  ^'pray  without 
ceasing."  We  have  not  begun  to  learn  that. 
We  do  not  need  more  Bible  study — yes,  we  do; 
some  of  us  who  may  suppose  we  know  the  most 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  169 

about  the  Book  perhaps  know  the  least  of  what 
is  actually  in  it.  We  do  not  need  more  spiritual 
power — yes,  we  do ;  yes,  we  do ;  we  always  shall ; 
we  have  not  learned  that  Presbyterian  manhood 
is  pulsing  with  spiritual  power  to-day.  We 
need  to  find  that  out  and  realize  the  immense 
forcefulness  right  at  hand.  What  we  need  is 
plain,  common,  uncommon  gumption.  We  need 
to  quit  fooling  and  fumbling  and  foozling.  We 
need  to  quit  crying:  ^*Lo,  here!"  and  ''Lo, 
there!"  We  need  to  realize  that  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  in  our  midst.  We  need  to  know 
what  it  is  to  be  Presbyterian,  and  then  work 
our  knowledge  for  all  there  is  in  it. 

Here  is  a  man  who  is  a  Presbyterian,  not  be- 
cause he  was  born  that  way — although  he  is 
proud  of  the  fact  that  he  had  a  Presbyterian 
father  and  a  line  of  ancestors  of  the  same  faith 
stretching  back  to  the  time  almost  before  time 
was — not  because  he  delights  to  sally  forth  with 
his  Presbyterian  shillalah  and  crack  the  heads  of 
Methodists  and  Congregationalists,  Baptists 
and  Episcopalians;  but  because  he  has  a  burn- 
ing conviction  that  Presbyterianism  is  the  way 
to  do  the  business  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Dk.  W.  J.  Darby,  Evansville,  Indiana. — A 
word  in  reference  to  the  relations  of  the  Broth- 
erhood to  the  future  ministers  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church — the  young  men  of  these  Brother- 
hoods that  are,  and  are  to  be,  the  boys  twelve, 
fourteen,  and  sixteen  years  of  age  that  are  not 


170  THE    PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

yet  in  these  organizations.  I  was  interested  this 
morning  in  the  fact  being  brought  to  light  that 
a  large  proportion  of  this  convention  to-day  is 
from  the  cities  and  larger  towns.  If  yon  were 
to  ask  a  company  of  ministers  to  rise,  that  is, 
those  who  came  from  the  cities  and  larger  towns, 
it  would  be'  like  a  meeting  I  saw  over  in  Wil- 
liamsburg the  other  day,  when  out  of  an  audi- 
ence of  seven  hundred,  only  twenty-five  men 
arose  in  response  to  that  question.  Then  the 
men  were  asked  to  rise  who  came  from  the 
country,  from  smaller  towns  and  villages,  and 
that  whole  body  of  seven  hundred  men  arose. 
That  is  what  we  would  have  here  to-day. 

Now,  brethren  of  this  Brotherhood,  here  as 
representatives  of  a  mighty  organization  that 
stands  for  our  Presbyterianism  in  the  cities  of 
this  country,  here  is  a  problem  for  us,  that  we 
are  obliged  to  depend  to-day  upon  the  churches 
at  the  crossroads  and  in  the  villages  and  small 
towns  for  our  ministers.  Who  knows  but  that 
this  Brotherhood  has  ^^come  to  the  kingdom 
for  such  a  time  as  this''?  Look  at  the  minutes 
of  the  General  Assembly  if  you  want  to  know 
how  few  men  are  entering  the  Presbyterian 
Church  from  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Cin- 
cinnati, and  so  on  around  the  whole  list.  Find 
out  where  the  candidates  come  from,  and  you 
see  at  once  that  we  are  dependent  upon  the 
country  churches  and  the  villages. 

My  appeal  here  to-day  is  that  these  mighty 
Brotherhoods  in  our  cities  may  generate  such 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  171 

a  spiritual  life  in  their  own  midst,  in  their  homes, 
at  their  home  altars,  at  the  altars  of  the  congre- 
gation, at  the  altars  of  the  Presbyteries,  that  we 
shall  see  these  bright  and  educated  young  men 
of  our  cities  coming  out  of  these  Brotherhoods, 
out  of  the  activities  of  the  Bible  class,  through 
college  and  seminary  into  the  ministry.  Some 
of  them  already  have  their  college  education. 
We  could  have  hundreds,  yes,  many  hundreds  of 
young  men  in  the  ministry  three,  four,  ^ve  years 
from  now,  who  already  have  their  college  train- 
ing and  are  now  in  the  front  ranks  of  Brother- 
hood work. 

I  believed  all  through  my  boyhood  that  I  was 
called.  I  always  believed  in  calling,  and  now  I 
am  talking  about  effectual  calling,  the  calling 
of  the  Divine  Spirit.  I  look  to  this  organization 
as  one  of  three  things — first,  home  and  the  home 
altar;  second,  the  Sunday  school,  and  then  this 
Brotherhood — to  deliver  us  from  what  Dr.  Her- 
rick  Johnson  warned  us  twenty  years  ago  was 
in  danger  of  coming,  a  ministerial  famine.  Ac- 
cording to  his  prophecy,  this  is  so;  but  God  is 
at  the  head  of  his  church,  and  God  is  in  this 
Brotherhood,  and  I  believe  that  out  of  this  or- 
ganization, out  of  these  activities  that  we  are 
discussing  here  to-day,  out  of  more  prayer  in 
the  home,  out  of  more  prayer  and  spiritual 
power  in  the  other  organizations  for  young 
men,  we  shall  have  what  we  want,  the  **  effec- 
tual calling ''  of  men  to  preach  the  gospel  of 
the  kingdom. 


172  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Eev.  E.  Trumbull  Lee,  D.  D.,  Wilkinsburg, 
Pennsylvania. — Mr.  Chairman :  I  want  to  speak 
for  a  moment  or  two  upon  system  in  gather- 
ing benevolent  offerings,  and  I  am  not  going 
to  voice  a  theory,  but  one  which  is  put  into 
actual  practice  in  the  church  of  which  I 
am  pastor.  It  seems  to  me,  and  always 
has  seemed  to  me,  that  it  is  a  sin  for 
us  to  leave  the  benevolent  offerings  to  the  chance 
collection  of  the  Sabbath  day  that  has  been  ap- 
pointed for  benevolent  offerings ;  hence,  I  have 
introduced — as  I  believe  all  of  us  should  who 
have  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  at  heart — a 
system.  I  conceived  the  idea  this  last  spring  of 
uniting  the  Brotherhood  with  the  Session  of  the 
church  in  establishing  a  system,  and  I  thought 
perhaps  you  would  like  to  hear  about  it.  It  is 
this: 

The  appointment  of  a  committee  of  five  from 
the  Session  we  had  already,  whose  duty  it  was 
to  look  after  the  benevolent  interests  of  the 
church,  carrying  out  a  system  that  had  been 
mapped  out  by  the  pastor.  I  conceived  the  idea 
of  uniting  with  this  committee  of  five  from  the 
Session,  twelve  committees,  of  five  men  each, 
from  the  Brotherhood  of  the  church.  These 
twelve  committees  were  made  up  as  follows: 
One  is  called  the  committee  for  January,  one  the 
committee  for  February,  and  so  on  through  the 
twelve  months  of  the  year.  Now,  my  theory  of 
church  work  is  to  give  one  man  one  thing  to  do 
and  not  two;  because  if  I  give  a  man  only  one 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  173 

thing  to  do,  I  am  sure  of  getting  that  thing  done, 
no  matter  how  busy  the  man  is.  Hence,  the  duty 
of  the  January  committee  (or  sub-committee)  is 
to  look  after  the  interests  of  Foreign  Missions, 
for  that  is  the  month  set  apart  by  the  Assembly 
for  Foreign  Missions ;  the  committee  for  Febru- 
ary looks  after  the  collection  for  the  College 
Board,  because  that  is  the  month  set  apart  for 
that  Board. 

Wliat  does  each  sub-committee  do  ?  Each  com- 
mittee meets  some  evening  before  the  third  Sab- 
bath of  the  month,  and  addresses  envelopes  to 
all  the  heads  of  families  and  single  men  and 
women  of  the  church.  In  our  church  of  1250 
members,  you  can  see  this  is  quite  an  undertak- 
ing, but  yet  distributing  it  this  way  among  the 
committee  it  is  an  undertaking  that  can  abso- 
lutely be  accomplished  with  undeviating  accu- 
racy. These  committees  addressed  envelopes,  as 
I  have  indicated.  Into  these  envelopes  were  put 
subscription  blanks  for  the  money  required ;  then 
with  these  blanks  as  many  envelopes  as  there  are 
members  of  the  family,  together  with  the  litera- 
ture prepared  by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, or  whatever  board  it  may  be.  Besides 
that,  there  is  a  printed  statement  that  goes  with 
it  from  the  Session  committee,  saying  that  next 
Sabbath  is  the  Sabbath  for  the  offering  for  this 
particular  board,  and  that  if  the  person  ad- 
dressed is  not  able  to  be  present  on  that  Lord's 
day,  to  kindly  bring  the  offering  the  next  Sab- 
bath. 


174  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Thereby  we  secure  two  or  three  things. 
First,  we  secure  a  system,  and  system  is  a  thing 
which  every  organization  in  the  church  ought 
to  have.  Second,  we  secure  the  interest  of 
the  laymen  in  the  offerings  of  the  church. 
And  third,  we  secure  increased  offerings  from 
year  to  year. 

Mr.  Best. — I  think  this  matter  of  systematic 
giving  in  all  our  churches  is  very  important.  I 
have  no  doubt  whatever  that  the  establishment 
of  this  method  of  taking  subscriptions  for  the 
benevolences  of  the  church  on  a  regular  sched- 
ule, just  as  subscriptions  are  taken  for  the  cur- 
rent expenses  of  the  church,  is  the  very  best. 
Some  churches  expedite  matters  by  giving  regu- 
larly to  all  the  boards;  that  is,  uniting  the 
boards. 

In  La  Grange  we  divide  the  boards  into  three 
parts.  We  take  one  collection  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, one  for  Home,  and  the  third  for  the  other 
boards,  and  the  Session  divides  this  as  best  it 
can,  according  to  its  knowledge  of  the  needs  of 
the  boards  in  that  particular  year.  This  permits 
the  percentage  that  each  General  Assembly  has 
indicated  as  belonging  to  the  different  benevo- 
lent offerings  of  the  church,  and  gives  the  two 
great  missions  of  the  church  the  advantage  of 
standing  out  alone. 

Just  as  Dr.  Lee  has  said,  envelopes  go  into 
every  house,  and  a  special  lot  of  literature  goes 
with  each  letter;  but  we  do  not  depend  on  any 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  175 

one  Sunday  that  is  chosen  by  the  Session,  but 
urge  that  any  family  which  is  not  represented  in 
the  congregation  on  that  day  shall  bring  the  en- 
velope later  to  the  designated  chairman  of 
benevolences. 

Another  thing  I  think  we  are  doing,  is  to  in- 
crease the  attendance  of  men.  Our  pastor  tells 
us  when  he  will  preach  some  special  sermons, 
then  the  Session  sends  out  letters  to  selected  lists 
of  men,  a  list  gathered  by  the  Brotherhood,  urg- 
ing them  to  come  to  these  series  of  sermons.  Our 
pastor  has  been  presenting  Christian  evidences, 
with  marked  increase  in  the  attendance  of  men, 
because  we  sent  letters  saying,  ^^If  you  have 
any  doubts,  here  is  an  opportunity  for  hearing 
reasons  for  believing  the  Bible.  ^' 

Dr.  Moffat. — I  would  like  to  have  Mr.  Vogt 
speak  a  few  minutes  on  the  educational  work  of 
our  church,  for  he  knows  something  about  that 
subject. 

Mr.  Vogt. — I  would  like  to  know  what  the 
gentlemen  here  know  about  it.  I  would  not  be 
surprised  if  nobody  knew  a  thing  about  it.  How 
many  have  any  idea  whatever  of  the  Study 
Course  that  we  are  taking  up,  issued  by  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  as  well  as  the  one  is- 
sued by  the  Home  Board?  How  many  have  a 
Mission  Study  Class  in  your  church!  Tell  us 
whether  it  is  a  good  thing  or  not.  Wliy  is  it  a 
good  thing  1 


176  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Mr.  F.  W.  Lewis,  Saginaw,  Michigan. — Our 
Christian  Endeavor  Society,  at  the  conference 
held  at  Lake  Geneva,  organized  itself  into  three 
Mission  Study  Classes,  and  for  the  last  few 
weeks  we  have  had  the  study  of  missions  instead 
of  our  regular  service.  The  attendance  has  been 
almost  double,  and  the  interest  has  been  very  ap- 
preciable. 

Mr.  Vogt. — I  would  like  to  say,  for  the  benefit 
of  those  who  do  not  know,  that  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sions book  is  ^'The  Uplift  of  China,"  by  Dr. 
Arthur  Smith,  whom  everyone  knows  as  a 
very  helpful  writer.  The  book  on  Home  Mis- 
sions is  '^The  Challenge  of  the  City,''  by 
Dr.  Josiah  Strong,  and  this  deals  with  the 
question  of  immigration.  I  wonder  if  we 
know  that  every  day  there  are  twenty-four 
car-loads  started  out  of  New  York.  This 
book,  ^'The  Challenge  of  the  City,"  will  tell 
you  more  about  this  question  than  anything 
I  know  of. 

If  the  Rev.  Willis  Gelston  is  in  the  house,  I 
wish  he  would  come  to  the  platform.  He  is  the 
new  Secretary  (Young  People's  Secretary)  of 
the  Board  of  Publication.  Do  not  forget  this 
Study  Course  on  immigration. 

Mr.  Gelston. — It  is  a  pleasure  to  speak  to 
this  audience,  especially  as  I  want  to  give  you 
some  information  that  every  Presbyterian 
should  have. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  177 

We  are  proud  of  our  Presbyterian  Church,  be- 
cause it  is  far  to  the  front  with  new  methods,  and 
methods  that  mean  a  great  deal.  We  are  proud 
of  the  Brotherhood  movement,  of  the  mission- 
ary la^nnen  movement,  because  of  Mr.  Stelzle's 
movement,  and  now  I  hope  we  are  going  to  be 
proud  of  a  movement  that  is  just  started — the 
movement  for  the  young  people.  We  have  not 
had  any  educational  support  for  our  young 
people  up  to  the  present  time ;  although  they  are 
the  plastic  class,  although  they  are  numerous, 
although  they  are  the  ones  who  will  be  the  Pres- 
byterians of  the  future,  we  have  not  had  Pres- 
byterian support  for  our  young  people  as  yet. 
Hence  the  General  Assembly  has  realized  the 
conditions  for  some  time,  and  step  by  step  plans 
have  been  made,  so  that  there  is  now  a  depart- 
ment in  our  church  for  young  people.  This  de- 
partment is  only  two  months  old.  It  has  before 
it  the  whole  question  of  what  assistance  we  can 
give  our  young  people  in  the  way  of  instruction, 
to  make  them  what  they  ought  to  be  in  order 
that  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  future 
shall  be  what  we  want  it  to  be — more  conse- 
crated, more  capable,  more  enthusiastic  than 
before. 

I  believe  the  Brotherhood  can  help  in  this 
movement  by  giving  the  young  people's  socie- 
ties their  sympathy,  by  tackling  this  question  of 
instruction  for  young  people.  We  surely  ought 
to  tackle  it,  and  I  hope  we  will  find  the  solution 
in  time. 


178  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

Dr.  Moffat. — I  think  there  will  be  a  little  dif- 
ficulty in  getting  our  Brotherhoods  to  engage  in 
study  classes.  There  are  too  many  men  that  are 
busy — too  busy  to  take  up  text-books.  The 
young  people  ought  to  be  encouraged  to  study 
missions,  home  and  foreign,  and  the  history  of 
our  church,  for  themslves;  but  I  would  suggest 
that  every  Brotherhood  should  secure  a  lecturer 
to  address  them  (either  the  pastor  or  some  one 
competent)  on  some  of  these  problems  connected 
with  our  church's  progress — our  church  organ- 
ization, our  church  history,  our  church  policy; 
not  in  a  controversial  spirit,  but  simply  to  make 
men  acquainted  with  the  organization  and  char- 
acteristics of  the  great  Presbyterian  Church.  I 
have  been  called  upon  to  address  a  few  associa- 
tions on  the  subject  of  Presbyterianism,  and  I 
have  been  surprised  to  have  men  and  women, 
leaders  of  the  church,  come  to  me  afterward  and 
say :  ^  ^  Well,  I  am  glad  to  know  at  last  what  the 
Presbyterian  Church  stands  for.'' 

Now,  let  the  Brotherhood  find  out  what  the 
Presbyterian  Church  stands  for,  and  you  will 
find  we  stand  for  something  worth  while.  There 
is  no  cultivation  of  sectarianism  in  our  making 
ourselves  and  others  acquainted  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  our  government. 


XI 
WEDNESDAY  EVENING 

THE  GREAT  FELLOWSHIP  MEETING 

On  Wednesday  evening  more  than  three  thou- 
sand ^ve  hundred  delegates  and  visitors  at- 
tended the  fellowship  meeting.  A  chorus  of 
about  four  hundred  voices  furnished  appropri- 
ate music,  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Evans, 
with  Miss  Snyder  at  the  organ.  A  chorus  of 
male  voices  and  a  cornet  solo  by  Mrs.  A.  B. 
Thomas  were  also  greatly  enjoyed. 

THE   PRESIDING   OFFICER 's   GREETING 

Mr.  Hargitt. — Brethren  of  the  Convention, 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  In  this  hall  last  evening, 
you  were  welcomed  on  behalf  of  the  Christian 
people  of  our  city.  To-night  it  is  my  duty,  on 
behalf  of  the  local  Executive  Committee  and  the 
Union  of  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  in  Cin- 
cinnati, to  extend  to  you  a  hearty  welcome  to  this 
fellowship  gathering. 

The  local  committee  has  endeavored  to  bring 
to  this  meeting — and  from  the  appearance  of 
this  audience  it  has  succeeded — the  flower  of 
Presbyterianism  in  Cincinnati  and  vicinity,  in 

179 


180  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

order  that  they  might  meet  and  mingle  in  Chris- 
tian fellowship  with  the  best  representatives 
that  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  the  land  ever 
sent  to  a  national  convention.  I  do  not  dispar- 
age any  other  national  convention,  because  it  is 
one  of  the  cardinal  articles  of  our  faith  that  we 
all  grow  better  year  by  year. 

During  all  this  day  the  convention  has  been 
seriously  considering  questions  of  vital  import 
to  the  Brotherhood:  questions  of  principles  and 
forms  of  organization,  of  its  devotional  life  and 
of  its  educational  offices  and  opportunities.  But 
to-night  we  pause  midway  between  the  two  great 
days  of  the  convention,  laying  aside  for  the 
moment  these  practical  and  important  questions^ 
in  order  that  we  may  unite  in  fraternal  inter- 
course. You  know  the  printed  page  has  to  some 
extent  done  away  with  the  influence  of  the 
spoken  word ;  that  magazines  and  the  press  have 
to  an  extent  crippled  the  influence  of  the  orator. 
But,  my  friends,  have  you  ever  heard  that  any- 
thing has  ever  interfered  with  or  weakened  the 
power  and  influence  of  the  grasp  of  the  hand  of 
one's  fellows?  Without  personal  contact  and 
association  we  have  no  brotherhood  cooperation, 
we  have  no  Christian  cooperation.  Sympathy 
and  cooperation  breed  energy  and  help  to  en- 
dow us  with  endurance,  both  of  which  are 
necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  great 
things. 

Dr.  Landrith,  at  the  convention  at  Indianapo- 
lis last  year,  said  that  the  Christian  men  of  this 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  181 

country  could  do  wliat  they  would,  if  they  would 
do  what  they  could ;  and  this  convention  to-day, 
this  magnificent  audience  to-night,  illustrates 
the  power  and  the  truth  of  that  statement.  The 
courage  and  determination  of  a  soldier  are 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  his  fellows  are 
marching  by  his  side,  willing  to  meet  every  ob- 
stacle and  danger  with  him.  Do  you  not  think 
the  Christian  worker,  the  Christian  soldier,  if 
you  will,  is  influenced  in  the  same  way?  There 
are  in  this  audience  to-night  more  than  three 
thousand  people.  Do  you  not  believe  that  your 
enthusiasm  will  be  kindled,  your  resolution  for 
future  work  will  be  strengthened,  and  your  zeal 
for  the  kingdom  will  be  increased  by  meeting 
and  greeting  your  fellows  here  to-night! 

At  the  time  of  the  meeting  of  the  General  As- 
sembly in  Columbus  this  year,  the  Southern 
Presbyterians  were  holding  their  General  As- 
sembly in  the  city  of  Birmingham,  Alabama,  and 
the  Moderators  of  these  two  Assemblies  ex- 
changed greetings  at  long  range,  by  the  medium 
of  the  telegraph.  To-night  we  have  present  with 
us  upon  this  platform  both  of  these  Moderators 
(Applause),  and  in  addition,  we  have  the  last 
Moderator  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church.  (Applause)  Is  this  not  an  achieve- 
ment of  which  the  Brotherhood  may  well  be 
proud?  Is  it  not  worth  all  that  this  convention 
may  have  cost  in  time,  in  etf  ort,  and  in  money, 
to  bring  upon  this  platform  the  Moderators  of 
lihese  Assemblies  and  have  them  extend  fra- 


182  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ternal  greetings  to  an  audience  composed  of  rep- 
resentatives from  all  sections  of  our  country, 
and  that,  too,  in  a  city  situated  upon  the  line 
which  geographically  divides  the  North  from  the 
South! 

This  is  an  historical  epoch  in  our  church. 
Union  may  never  come — though  I  know  that  we 
all  feel  more  or  less  sure  that  it  will  come  even- 
tually— but  the  brotherly  love  and  influence  of 
this  meeting  will  radiate  to  the  home  of  every 
one  who  bears  the  Presbyterian  name. 

I  desire  to  present  to  you  the  Professor 
of  Philosophy  in  Washington  and  Lee  Univer- 
sity, Moderator  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States,  Prof.  J.  R.  Howerton,  D.D. 

A   FELLOWSHIP    MESSAGE    FROM    THE   SOUTH 

(The  audience  greeted  Professor  Howerton 
standing.  All  spontaneously  joined  in  singing, 
^^ Blest  Be  the  Tie  that  Binds.") 

Dr.  Howerton. — Mr.  President,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen,  and  Brethren  of  this  Convention: 
It  is  impossible  for  me  in  words  to  express  my 
profound  gratitude  and  appreciation  at  this  re- 
ception, and  especially  as  I  recognize  that  it 
is  because  I  stand  here  to-night  representing  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church,  and  because  I 
know  that  this  demonstration  represents  your 
feeling  and  brotherly  love  toward  that  church. 
And    I    am    glad    I    can    say   to    you    that    I 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  183 

represent  every  man  in  the  Southern  Church 
in  conveying  to  you  our  most  hearty  fra- 
ternal greetings  in  your  great  work,  and  our 
prayers  for  its  success.  For  whatever  differ- 
ences of  opinion  may  exist  among  us,  and  what- 
ever the  providence  of  God  may  have  in 
store  for  us  in  regard  to  union  of  any  kind,  there 
is  no  doubt  but  that  we  are  one  in  wanting  to 
win  the  men  of  this  country  for  Christ,  and 
through  the  men  of  this  country  to  win  the  world 
for  Christ. 

I  could  say  no  more  and  mean  no  more,  Mr. 
Moderator,  if  I  should  spend  the  whole  time  you 
have  given  me,  conveying  words  of  fraternal 
greeting.  You  will  permit  me,  however,  to  say 
something  about  this  work. 

I  thank  God  that  I  am  able  to  stand  before 
such  an  audience  as  this,  before  this  great  sea 
of  faces,  almost  all  of  them  here  in  front  of  me 
Christian  men;  and  I  do  not  think,  Mr.  Presi- 
dent,  that  any  movement  in  the  Christian  world 
of  the  past  century  or  of  this  century,  is  fraught 
with  more  important  consequences  to  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  than  this  organization  of  the  men 
of  our  church.  I  do  not  think  that  one  word 
too  much  has  been  said  about  the  power  and  in- 
fluence of  the  work  of  the  noble  women  in  our 
church,  but  I  do  think  that  too  little  has  been 
said  about  the  power  and  influence  of  the  men. 
I  do  not  think  it  is  possible  to  exaggerate  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Christian  woman,  whether  in  the 
home,  in  the  sphere  of  wife  and  mother,  or  in 


184  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  larger  spheres  which  our  Christian  civiliza- 
tion has  opened  np  to  her;  but  the  power 
of  men  has  not  been  emphasized  as  it  ought 
to  be.  We  must  recognize  the  fact  that  as 
society  is  now  constituted,  men  have  far  more 
power  to  do  harm  and  more  power  to  do  good 
than  women. 

They  have  more  power  to  do  harm.  Who  are 
the  saloon  keepers?  The  men.  Who  run  the 
gambling  dens?  The  men.  Wlio  are  the  se- 
ducers? The  men.  Wlio  are  the  drunkards? 
The  men.  Who  make  bad  laws  and  prevent  the 
enforcement  of  good  laws?  The  men.  Who  fill 
our  jails  and  penitentiaries?  The  men.  Now, 
it  is  true  that  there  are  some  bad  women  who  do 
these  things,  but  in  the  main  the  answer  to  all 
these  questions  comes  with  damning  reiteration 
— the  men. 

But  for  the  same  reason  that  they  have  so 
much  power  to  do  harm,  they  have  power  to  do 
good.  Who  are  our  preachers  ?  The  men.  AATio 
fill  the  offices?  The  men.  Wlio  make  our  laws 
and  execute  them?  The  men.  Who  conduct  al- 
most all  of  the  business  of  this  country?  The 
men.  The  presidents  of  our  banks,  the  presi- 
dents of  our  great  corporations,  the  presidents 
of  our  railroads,  are  men.  They  are  teachers, 
professors  in  colleges,  editors  of  newspapers, 
and  to  men  are  entrusted  most  of  the  influential 
positions. 

And  so  I  say  that  if  we  want  our  country  for 
Christ,  we  men  must  do  a  larger  work  among 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  185 

the  men  than  we  have  ever  done  before  in  the 
history  of  the  church.  I  thank  God  that  the 
church  has  wakened  to  the  fact  that  there  is  some 
other  work  for  men  of  the  church  to  do  than 
simply  to  sit  in  their  pews  on  Sunday  morning 
and  listen  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and 
contribute — sometimes  a  very  small  proportion 
— of  their  income  to  the  support  of  the  church. 
I  thank  God  that  men  have  found  something  that 
can  be  done  outside  of  the  work  of  the  elders 
and  deacons  of  the  Presbyterian  Church;  that 
there  is  personal  work  to  do ;  that  there  are  in- 
dividual souls  to  be  won  by  the  individual  work 
of  men  among  men ;  that  laymen  can  teach  Bible 
classes,  can  organize  Sunday  schools,  can  meet 
together  for  counsel,  and  in  such  a  body  as  this 
can  plan  for  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  throughout  the  world. 

And  that  is  not  all.  The  church  (and  I  use 
that  word  in  the  common  acceptation  of  the 
term)  the  church  is  not  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
and  it  never  will  be.  The  church  is  a  means — 
God's  means,  to  be  sure — but  nevertheless  a 
means,  of  which  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  the 
end.  And  when  that  kingdom  comes,  my  friends, 
it  will  need  farms  and  farmers;  it  will  need 
railroads  and  railroad  men;  it  will  need 
manufacturers  and  bankers ;  it  will  need  men  of 
professions ;  it  will  need  men  of  business.  I  be- 
lieve that  when  Jesus  taught  us  to  pray :  ^ '  Thy 
kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven/'  he  taught  us  to  make  a  prayer 


186  THE    PEESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

for  which  we  should  expect  an  answer,  and  work 
for  that  answer.  And  I  believe  that  Jesus 
should  rule  not  only  in  heaven,  but  on  earth, 
and  that  his  will  should  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven. 

If  this  be  true,  then  it  is  not  only  in  the  church 
and  through  the  church  that  we  must  work,  but 
through  every  influence  of  our  lives.  The  man 
who  thinks  that  by  consecrating  one  day  in  seven 
to  rest  for  God,  he  has  earned  the  right  to  work 
for  himself  alone  for  the  six  other  days  in  the 
week;  the  man  who  thinks  that  by  consecrating 
the  tenth  of  his  income  to  Christ  he  has  bought 
off  the  rest  so  that  he  can  spend  it  upon  selfish 
gratification;  or  the  man  who  thinks  that  by 
doing  a  little  dabbling  in  the  religious  work  of 
the  church  he  can  thereby  keep  religion  out  of 
his  business,  and  his  politics  and  thus  salve  his 
conscience  while  he  is  engaged  in  these  things, 
has  not  only  misunderstood,  but  has  perverted 
the  difference  between  the  sacred  and  the  secu- 
lar. If  you  want  the  kingdom  of  Christ  to  come 
in  this  world,  you  must  not  put  religion  into 
your  church  life  alone,  but  into  your  business 
life.  And  it  seems  to  me  that  in  just  such  an 
organization  as  this  you  can  do  a  great  work 
along  this  line. 

These  great,  big,  sixteen-inch  guns  mounted  on 
ecclesiastical  platforms  are  admirable  when  they 
are  trained  right,  and  when  they  do  hit  the  mark, 
do  magnificent  execution — ^they  can  sometimes 
even  hit  things  that  are  out  of  sight;  but  they 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  187 

are  limited  in  their  angle  of  range.  Now,  we 
want  an  organization,  an  instrumentality  that 
has  a  wider  range. 

They  tell  us  that  we  must  keep  politics  out  of 
the  church  and  the  church  out  of  politics,  and 
you  would  not  expect  a  representative  of  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church  to  say  anything 
but  *^amen"  to  that.  But  if  by  that  they  mean 
that  we  must  keep  religion  out  of  politics,  and 
that  Christian  men  must  have  nothing  to  do  with 
politics,  then  I  say  *^No." 

You  must  take  your  religion  into  your  politics, 
and  as  Christian  men,  aim  at  the  time  when 
every  man  who  holds  an  office,  from  the  alder- 
man in  the  city  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  shall  be  a  Christian  man  (Applause)  and 
shall  administer  his  office  not  only  as  a  trust 
from  the  people,  but  as  a  trust  from  God. 
And  you  must  carry  your  religion  into  your 
business,  too,  and  apply  the  ethics  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  those  great  problems 
that  are  meeting  us  to-day,  and  that  are  growing 
harder  and  wider  with  the  development  of  our 
civilization.  You  must  show  to  the  world  that 
the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  practical  re- 
ligion; and  the  man  who  does  not  put  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus  Christ  into  his  business  in  his 
relations  with  his  employees — whether  he  be  the 
head  of  some  great  corporation,  which  is  em- 
ploying union  men,  or  whether  he  be  a  store- 
keeper employing  clerks  who  work  sixteen  hours 
a  day — I  say,  if  he  does  not  put  the  religion  of 


188  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Jesus  Christ  into  his  business,  then  he  has 
no  message  from  Christ  for  his  employees. 
It  is  no  use  for  that  man  to  teach  a  Bible 
class  or  attempt  in  any  way  to  convey  the 
message  of  salvation  to  the  souls  of  men  until 
he  is  a  witness  to  the  power  and  truth  of  the 
Gospel  in  his  own  life. 

Now,  brethren,  I  do  not  know  whether  in  the 
dreams  of  the  future  there  is  to  be  some  great 
Jerusalem,  where  there  shall  be  a  marble  palace, 
upon  the  throne  of  which  shall  sit  Jesus  in  vis- 
ible presence  as  a  great  king;  whether  the  tem- 
ple shall  be  built  of  gold  and  precious  stones 
whose  magnificence  shall  far  excel  that  of  an- 
cient times ;  but  I  do  believe  that  the  day  is  com- 
ing when  Jesus  shall  be  enthroned  in  the  indi- 
vidual hearts  of  men,  and  when  there  shall  be 
none  left  to  say  to  another,  ^^Know  thou  the 
Lord  I"  but  when  all  shall  know  him  whom  to 
know  aright  is  life  everlasting ;  when  peace  shall 
reign  from  sea  to  sea,  and  Jesus  Christ  shall 
be  King  over  all.  Visionary?  Yes.  But,  breth- 
ren, if  Jesus  had  not  seen  that  vision,  if  he  had 
not  seen  the  vision  of  the  glory  of  the  kingdom 
on  that  day  of  temptation  in  the  wilderness,  then 
you  and  I  to-day  would  have  been  in  heathen 
darkness.  But  that  which  has  been  done  is  an 
earnest  that  all  visions  of  Jesus  Christ  shall  be 
realized  in  this  world. 

Now,  I  give  this  challenge  to  every  man,  to 
repeat  to  every  man  who  has  not  thus  far  be- 
come interested  or  taken  a  part  in  your  work. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  189 

Shall  your  brethren  go  to  war  and  shall  ye  sit 
here? 

Let  no  man  sit  down  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
protection  and  blessings  of  Christian  civilization 
jnst  as  long  as  there  is  one  spot  in  all  this  earth, 
from  the  darkness  of  Africa  to  this  city  of  Cin- 
cinnati, where  the  name  of  Jesus  is  not  ac- 
knowledged as  King.  Call  upon  every  man  to 
join  your  army,  and  Christ  will  lead  us  to  con- 
quest. 

THE    NEW    GENERAL   SECRETARY   INTRODUCED 

Mr.  Hargitt. — No  doubt  many  of  you  were  at 
the  last  General  Assembly.  Dr.  Roberts  was  the 
Moderator  of  that  Assembly,  as  you  all  know, 
and  it  is  not  invidious  nor  extravagant  to  say  he 
was  one  of  the  best  presiding  officers  the  As- 
sembly ever  had.  He  was  particularly  adept  in 
the  use  of  the  gavel.  When  speeches  were 
limited  to  three  minutes,  that  meant  three 
minutes.  I  know,  because  I  attempted  to  make 
a  three-minute  speech. 

Now,  Dr.  Roberts,  I  am  going  to  exercise  one 
of  the  Christian  virtues  to-night.  This  audience 
is  yours.  I  am  not  going  to  use  this  gavel;  I 
would  not  if  I  could,  because  every  man  and 
woman  here  wants  to  hear  all  that  Dr.  Roberts 
has  to  say. 


XII 

ADDRESS 
by  rev.  w.  h.  roberts,  d.d.,  ll.d. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Brethren  of  the  Conven- 
tion, Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — It  gives  me 
great  pleasure  to  stand  here  this  evening  and  ex- 
tend fraternal  greetings ;  first,  from  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  to  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  from  the 
*^City  of  Brotherly  Love'*  to  the  ^* Queen  City 
of  the  Wesf  We  greet  you,  brethren  of  Cin~ 
cinnati,  and  the  women  of  this  fair  city  likewise, 
as  those  who  in  Christ  are  one  with  us  in  the 
hope  of  the  dawn  upon  earth  of  that  glad  day 
when  it  shall  know  a  sanctified  and  glorified 
humanity. 

Permit  me  also  to  tender  to  the  convention  the 
fraternal  greetings  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  and  not  only  of  the  General  Assembly, 
but  of  all  the  membership  of  the  church.  Es- 
pecially do  I  extend  these  greetings  to  the  be- 
loved moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States.  I  shall  have  something  further  to 
say  in  my  address  concerning  another  General 
Assembly,  illustrating  in  its  spirit  of  self-abne- 

190 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  191 

gation  the  highest  of  the  Christian  virtues — that 
of  self-sacrifice  in  the  name  and  for  the  sake  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Dr.  Landrith  knows  well  to  what 
I  refer.  We  are  to-day  within  one  church, 
thank  God. 

In  speaking  to  a  Brotherhood  convention  my 
remarks  naturally  have  to  do  with  the  spirit  of 
fraternity,  in  itself  considered,  as  it  is  making 
itself  manifest  in  our  land,  in  particular  in  the 
Christian  churches,  and  as  it  offers,  as  never 
before,  an  opportunity  to  men  and  women  for 
Christian  service.  There  is  broadcast  in  our 
country  to-day,  under  the  influence  of  that  guid- 
ing Holy  Spirit  who  is  supreme  in  this  dispen- 
sation of  the  New  Testament,  a  movement  to 
which,  in  all  its  manifestations  the  word  '^fra- 
ternity ' '  applies  in  a  marked  manner.  You  will 
find  it  present  in  business  circles.  Men  are 
nowadays  clearly  realizing  their  brotherhood  in 
the  vocations  in  which  they  are  engaged  for  the 
securing  of  their  daily  bread.  There  is  a  wide- 
spread effort  after  closer  relationship  between 
workers  wherever  found,  whether  it  be  in  high 
or  in  low  places,  and  as  long  as  the  movement  in 
its  development  seeks  the  mutual  benefit  and  up- 
lift of  humanity,  and  puts  underfoot  all  mere 
selfishness  and  is  unstained  by  violence,  we  can- 
not but  give  it  approval.  It  is  brotherhood 
that  is  making  itself  manifest — that  emotion 
of  the  human  mind  which  brings  men  to  a 
recognition  of  their  obligations  to  their  brethren 
in  the  flesh. 


192  THE   PBESBYTEBIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

When  we  consider  in  this  connection  the  Chris- 
tian churches,  we  find  that  the  spirit  of  fraternity 
between  them  in  all  parts  of  the  world  has  made 
enormous  strides.  Those  of  you  who  have 
watched  carefully  the  ecclesiastical  movements 
during  the  last  few  years  have  noticed  that  Chris- 
tians everj^where  have  been  endeavoring  to  get 
closer  together.  Christian  men  know  not  only 
that  fraternity  which  is  based  upon  the  natural 
ties  which  bind  men  one  to  another;  but  also 
that  higher  fraternity  which  finds  its  source  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  in  the  fact  that  in  him  men 
are  not  only  brethren  in  the  flesh,  but  also  in 
that  spiritual  unity  of  which  the  Heavenly 
Father  is  head.  Without  exception  the  Chris- 
tians of  the  world  are  realizing  to-day  as  never 
before  what  the  word  ^^ fraternity''  means  for 
them,  as  the  household  of  faith. 

When  we  pass  to  thought  of  the  Presbyterian 
churches,  we  find  that  the  spirit  of  fraternity 
has  influenced  their  relations  in  a  marked 
manner.  The  presence  of  three  moderators  on 
this  platform  to-night  is  one  evidence  of  this 
fact.  Another  proof  is  found  in  the  coming 
meeting  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the  third 
day  of  December  next,  of  official  delegates  from 
four  of  the  leading  Presbyterian  and  Eeformed 
churches  of  our  country,  with  the  deliberate  pur- 
pose of  endeavoring  to  bring  about  cooperation 
between  them  in  all  Christian  work.  It  is 
not  a  matter  of  theory  with  which  we  have 
to  deal.     To  use  the  words  of  a  great  Pres- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  193 

byterian,  ^'We  are  confronted  by  a  condi- 
tion, not  a  theory."  The  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America,  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  in  the  United  States,  the  Eef ormed 
Church  in  America,  commonly  known  as  the 
*^ Dutch  Church,"  and  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  by  official  action,  have  united  to  form  a 
body  to  be  known  as  '^The  Council  of  the  Re- 
formed Churches  in  America  Holding  the  Pres- 
byterian System."  The  ^'Articles  of  Agree- 
ment" which  provide  for  this  council  have 
as  their  purpose  to  give  outward  and  vis- 
ible demonstration  to  the  whole  of  this  country 
of  ours,  that  Presbyterians  under  the  guidance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  can  work  together,  cooper- 
ating in  every  labor  which  God  shall  open  to 
their  enterprise. 

Think  next  of  that  larger  fraternity,  which 
includes  all  the  evangelical  and  Protestant 
churches  of  this  land.  Last  Friday  afternoon 
in  the  city  of  New  York  it  was  my  privilege  to 
preside  as  chairman  at  the  meeting  of  the  Exec- 
utive Committee  of  the  Inter-Church  Confer- 
ence on  Federation.  The  committee  represented 
the  thirty-two  Christian  denominations  which 
united  in  framing,  through  delegates,  a  plan  of 
federation  in  New  York  City,  in  November,  1905, 
a  plan  to  be  submitted  for  official  action  to  the 
supreme  governing  or  advisory  bodies  of  each 
of  the  interested  denominations.  In  the  plan 
appears  the  provision  that  when  two  thirds  of 
the  bodies  shall  have  adopted  it  by  official  action, 


194  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

it  will  at  once  go  into  effect.  At  the  meeting  on 
last  Friday  there  were  placed  before  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  official  communications,  which 
showed  that  twenty-three  out  of  the  thirty-two 
denominations  had  adopted  this  plan  of  fed- 
eration. Not  one  American  Christian  church 
has  as  yet  voted  in  the  negative.  It  is 
believed  that  all  will  vote  in  the  affirmative. 
But  whether  there  be  a  negative  vote  or  no,  the 
fact  stands  out  before  this  Brotherhood,  before 
all  Brotherhoods,  before  all  the  Christian 
churches,  that  visible  form  has  been  given  to  the 
unity  of  believers  in  Jesus  Christ  as  their  com- 
mon Saviour  and  their  supreme  Lord.  Do  you 
wonder  that  with  many  others,  as  I  think  upon 
this  fact,  I  feel  a  gratitude  toward  God  that 
cannot  by  any  possibility  be  expressed  in 
words!  Can  we  do  other  than  bow  our  heads 
in  reverence  before  the  church's  great  Head  and 
thank  him  for  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
by  which  he  has  brought  all  this  about  ? 

We  are  confronting  therefore  a  condition  of 
things  full  of  hope;  a  condition  affording  an 
opj)ortunity  to  Christian  workers  such  as  they 
have  never  had  before;  and  a  condition  which 
has  largest  possible  encouragement  from  Al- 
mighty God.  His  blessing  rests,  we  may  be  as- 
sured, upon  every  and  any  movement  made  any- 
where in  this  our  common  country  for  the  bring- 
ing together  of  Christ's  people.  We  need,  as  a 
result,  to  give  ourselves  to  the  situation  with 
soberness  and  prayer,  realizing  that  the  time 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  195 

has  come  when  the  great  majority  of  the  evan- 
gelical Christians  of  the  United  States  are  of  the 
firm  conviction  that  while  there  may  be  twelve 
tribes  there  is  only  one  Israel ;  that  the  church, 
while  diverse  as  the  waves,  is  one  as  the  sea. 
The  unity  of  spirit  and  life  is  in  the  churches, 
and  this  means  cooperation  in  work. 

For  all  these  things  we  give  reverent  praise  to 
the  Holy  Spirit.  He  it  is  who  is  controlling 
certain  emotions  and  sentiments  which  are 
widely  felt  and  realized  for  his  own  gracious 
purposes.  He  it  is  who  has  brought  about  the 
realization  in  our  country  among  all  Christians, 
but  especially  among  all  Presbyterians,  as 
never  before,  of  the  things  which  are  funda- 
mental to  Christianity. 

There  is  a  clear  realization,  for  one  thing,  that 
the  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God.  In  all  my  cor- 
respondence and  conversations  with  men  of  dif- 
ferent denominations,  in  all  the  visits  I  have 
paid  to  various  portions  of  our  common  country, 
I  liave  found  an  unfailing  loyalty  to  the  author- 
ity and  integrity  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
as  the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  con- 
duct. Christians  are  everywhere  clinging 
with  an  undiminishing  loyalty  to  the  Word  of 
God. 

There  is  further  unmistakable  unanimity  on 
the  part  of  the  Christian  masses  in  their  views 
as  to  the  person  and  work  of  Jesus  Christ.  No- 
where in  the  evangelical  churches  is  there  any 
question  as  to  whom  and  what  Jesus,  the  Son  of 


196  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

man  and  Son  of  God,  was  and  is.  Everywhere 
Christians  bow  with  reverence  before  him ;  lean 
upon  him  as  their  Saviour,  and  worship  him  as 
God.  Loyalty  to  the  Divine  Christ  permeates 
the  Christian  churches  of  this  land  as  never 
before. 

This  common  belief  in  two  great  fundamentals 
of  our  religion — to  what  does  it  point  ?  It  points 
to  the  fact  that  Christians  realize  that  all  their 
hopes  for  this  life  and  the  life  which  is  to  come 
center  in  Jesus  Christ,  revealed  in  the  Word  of 
God  as  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life;  that 
they  realize  his  value  unto  them  as  Saviour; 
apprehend  their  unity  in  him  as  their  living 
Head,  and  accept  the  Bible  as  his  will  concerning 
the  things  which  they  are  to  believe  and  do.  It 
also  explains  the  widespread  acknowledgment 
of  the  one  great  purpose  to  which  Christ  sum- 
mons those  who  look  to  him  as  their  Saviour  and 
their  Lord,  the  salvation  of  a  lost  world.  Every- 
where you  will  find  to-day  the  churches  stirring 
with  desire  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  There  is 
no  Christian  denomination  free  from  the  influ- 
ence of  the  spirit  of  evangelism. 

That  the  Christian's  chief  work  is  the  salva- 
tion of  the  lost  is  apprehended  distinctly,  not 
only  in  Presbyterian  congregations,  but  also  in 
congregations  of  Christians  of  every  name.  It 
is  a  great  thing  that  this  one  purpose  is  sharply 
realized,  for  its  source  is  in  God,  not  in  man. 

The  relation  of  the  plan  of  salvation  to  Al- 
mighty God  may  be  illustrated  as  follows : 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  197 

A  boy  is  playing  with  a  rubber  ball  upon  the 
deck  of  an  ocean  liner.  He  is  warned  by  fellow- 
travelers  that  unless  he  is  careful  in  his  manipu- 
lations of  the  ball  it  will  probably  go  overboard. 
Overboard  the  ball  goes  at  last,  and  then  the  boy 
rushes  to  the  captain  of  the  steamer  and  asks 
that  the  vessel  be  stopped  in  order  that  he  may 
recover  his  ball.  The  captain  smiles  at  the  lad, 
tells  him  to  be  quiet;  that  he  will  find  another 
ball,  but  that  he  cannot  stop  the  steamer  for  any 
such  trivial  matter.  A  few  minutes  pass.  Sud- 
denly the  cry  rings  out:  '^Man  overboard!  Man 
overboard ! '  ^  Like  a  flash  the  signal  rings  from 
the  bridge  to  the  engine  room,  the  great  steamer 
slows  her  pace,  swings  around  in  a  semicircle, 
comes  to  a  stop,  a  lifeboat  is  lowered,  and  the 
man  is  rescued. 

The  man  that  is  overboard,  that  is  about  whom 
God  is  chiefly  thinking.  The  man  that  is  over- 
board, he  is  next  to  the  heart  of  Christ.  The 
man  that  is  overboard,  for  him  exception  is 
made  in  the  universal  system  of  law  and  order. 
For  the  lost  by  sin,  a  child  was  born  in  Bethle- 
hem by  miracle ;  a  cross  was  erected  on  the  hill- 
top called  Calvary,  and  on  that  cross  God  ran- 
somed with  precious  blood  lost  sinners. 

Do  we  realize  as  we  ought  what  God  has  done 
for  this  our  lost  world  in  and  through  Jesus 
Christ,  his  Son  1  Do  we  emphasize  as  we  ought  in 
all  our  work  as  Christians  the  matchless  appeal 
contained  in  those  words  clothed  with  all  the 
inspiration    of    heaven:     ''God    so    loved    the 


198  THE   PKESBYTEEIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life''!  More  and  more 
may  we  as  Christians  lay  emphasis  not  on  the 
selfish  things  which  are  as  the  boy's  rubber  ball, 
but  upon  the  common  purpose  which  unites  all 
who  bear  the  name  of  Jesus  to  labor  with  God 
in  concerted  effort  for  the  redemption  of  this  lost 
world ! 

As  we  think  upon  this  common  purpose  may 
we  realize,  and  this  is  my  closing  thought,  that 
the  great  inspiration  thereto  is  the  love  of  Jesus 
Christ!  The  question  is  often  asked  whether 
there  are  going  to  be,  in  this  present,  great  re- 
vivals of  religion;  whether  movements  like  this 
Brotherhood  will  be  attended  with  success. 
There  is  but  one  answer  to  this  inquiry  out  of 
Holy  Scripture  and  Christian  history.  It  is  this : 
All  depends  upon  how  devoted  Christians  are  to 
the  Lord  whose  name  they  bear;  all  depends 
upon  our  love  for  him  who  loved  us  and  gave 
himself  for  us,  and  was  and  is  the  propitiation 
for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  for  the 
sin  of  the  whole  world. 

What  victories  of  grace  and  power  the  devoted 
followers  of  Christ  won  in  the  early  days  of  our 
religion!  The  annals  of  the  primitive  church 
are  glorious  with  the  triumphs  of  love  for  our 
Lord,  both  over  the  wickedness  of  sinners  and 
the  tendencies  of  his  people  to  strife.  In  these 
latter  days,  not  alone  in  mission  fields  have  such 
triumphs  been  renewed.    We  have  had  in  our 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  199 

own  land  a  remarkable  illustration  of  the  power 
of  Christ  over  human  sentiment  and  human 
attachments.  I  take  you  to  the  city  of  St.  Louis, 
where  a  short  time  past  the  committees  on  union 
of  two  Presbyterian  denominations  met,  to 
consider  the  final  agreements  as  to  reunion 
between  their  churches.  There  upon  one  side 
sat  the  committee  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America,  upon  the  other 
the  committee  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
Church.  Previous  to  that  final  session  there  was 
prayer  to  God  for  his  guidance  and  blessing, 
and  oh,  how  my  heart  went  out  toward  those 
Cumberland  Presbyterians!  They  were  con- 
sidering for  the  last  time  a  question  closely  con- 
nected with  the  traditions,  the  sentiments,  the 
history  of  a  century.  They  were  about  to  go,  it 
is  true,  into  the  mother  church;  but  still  they 
were  giving  up  their  own  beloved  church.  There 
were  tears  in  their  eyes,  but  within  their  hearts 
there  was  the  love  of  Christ.  If  you  ask  who 
wrought  that  reunion  there  is  but  one  answer. 
It  was  not  man.  It  was  Jesus  Christ  bringing 
his  people  to  unity  of  thought  and  action  for 
the  salvation  of  souls  and  the  more  rapid  ex- 
tension of  his  kingdom.  It  was  the  love  of  him 
which  brought  that  reunion,  which  is  the  fore- 
runner of  yet  further  reunions.  Above  this 
platform  is  exhibited  the  motto,  ^'The  men  of 
America  for  the  Man  of  Galilee."  The  Gali- 
laean — how  great  and  abiding  his  victories  have 
been!    In  the  Roman  Empire  his  disciples,  up- 


200  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

held  by  the  love  of  him,  endured  persecution  for 
three  centuries,  and  at  last  conquered  all  op- 
position by  moral  power  alone.  But  were  the 
disciples  the  real  conquerors!  Far  from  it! 
Hear  the  name  of  the  victor  in  the  cry  which 
rang  from  the  lips  of  the  last  pagan  emperor  as 
he  fell  dying:  ^^Thou  hast  conquered,  0  Gali- 
Isean ! ' '  And  that  Galilaean,  has  he  not,  shall  he 
not,  conquer  again  and  again?  Shall  he  not, 
by  his  Spirit,  develop  in  these  days  the  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice  in  his  people,  enabling  them  to  give 
themselves  as  one  man  in  this  land  and  in  other 
lands,  to  the  salvation  of  souls,  to  the  redemp- 
tion of  earth,  and  to  the  bringing  in  of  the  uni- 
versal kingdom  of  our  God  I 

Oh !  as  we  think  upon  him,  upon  his  cross  and 
upon  his  crown,  I  ask  you  all  here,  men  and 
women,  to  make  his  love  the  main  object  of  your 
thoughts  and  the  one  controlling  power  in  your 
lives!  With  the  great  Moravian,  Zinzendorf, 
may  we  all  bring  ourselves,  through  the  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  into  that  state  of  mind  and 
heart  in  which  we  shall  be  able  to  say,  and  to  act 
out  the  saying  in  our  lives:  *^I  have  but  one 
passion;  it  is  he!" 

Mr.  Hargitt: — While  the  General  Assembly 
has  a  fine  presiding  officer,  the  members  of  this 
convention  appreciate  that  it  also  has  a  fine  pre- 
siding officer,  and  it  would  not  be  fair  to  this 
audience  if  I  did  not  present  to  it  the  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  the  National  Council,  who  is  presiding  at 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  201 

this  convention.  He  lias  a  word  to  say,  and  we 
hope  that  he  will  add  to  that  word  a  word  of 
greeting.  I  now  present  Mr.  Charles  S.  Holt, 
of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Holt. — So  many  times  within  the  last 
twenty-four  hours  it  has  fallen  to  my  lot  to  make 
my  little,  tinkling  speeches  between  the  roar  and 
thunder  and  crash  of  magnificent  eloquence  that 
has  preceded  and  followed,  that  I  have  long  ago 
wished  I  could  adopt  the  plan  of  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson's  brother,  who  was  a  clerg}Tiian  in 
Boston,  and  who  once,  finding  himself  in  great 
peril  during  a  storm  at  sea,  in  his  extremity 
made  a  solemn  vow  that  if  the  Lord  would  help 
him  out  of  that  scrape,  he  never  would  preach 
again,  but  try  his  best  to  make  an  honest  living 
in  some  other  way. 

But  it  would  be  a  cold  and  unappreciative  soul 
that  could  stand  even  for  a  moment  in  the  focus 
of  this  superb  welcome  which  Cincinnati  has 
given  to  the  Brotherhood,  without  offering  an 
expression  of  gratitude  from  the  great  body  of 
Presbyterian  men  who  are  your  guests.  Like 
our  brother  from  the  South,  we  could  not  ex- 
press in  words  our  sense  of  appreciation  of  what 
you  have  done  and  are  doing;  and  not  only  by 
your  provision  for  us,  but  by  your  presence  here 
to-night  you  emphasize  your  interest  in  all  that 
concerns  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood. 

The  whole  history  of  the  Brotherhood,  to  one 
who  is  familiar  with  it,  must  carry  an  over- 


202  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

powering  sense  of  the  guiding  and  singular  prov- 
idence of  God.  The  timeliness  of  the  move- 
ment, coming  forward  when  it  was  most  needed 
and  when  it  was  likely  to  be  most  welcomed ;  the 
eagerness  with  which  it  was  welcomed,  first  by 
the  General  Assembly,  then  by  the  men  of  the 
church,  as  their  spirit  showed  itself  in  the 
memorable  gathering  at  Indianapolis,  and  all 
the  experiences  of  the  year  since,  culminating  in 
this  mighty  and  magnificent  convention  in  which 
we  are  now  engaged — all  these  prove  that  we  are 
not  busy  with  a  work  of  man,  but  a  work  of  God. 

The  continued  and  generous  financial  support, 
beginning  long  ago  and  extending  down  to  the 
afternoon  of  this  very  day,  show  that  men  of 
business  sagacity  not  only  have  consented  to 
give  their  sympathy,  but  think  it  worth  while  to 
invest  their  money  in  the  enterprise. 

Very  significant,  too,  have  been  the  fellow- 
ships that  have  grown  out  of  the  movement.  I 
might  sufficiently  indicate  what  I  mean  by  call- 
ing your  attention  to  the  number  of  men  here 
who  represent  such  bodies  as  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  that  noble  association 
of  traveling  men  known  as  the  ^^ Gideons.'^  I 
might  further  point  to  the  number  here  from 
what  we,  for  the  time  being,  call  the  ^*  Southern 
Presbyterian  Church."  All  these  fellowships 
make  us  feel  that  God  is  behind  this  movement. 

But  to  my  mind  nothing  has  more  clearly 
shown  the  stamp  of  God's  favor  upon  our  work 
than  the  number  of  strong  men  who  have  been 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  203 

willing  to  enlist  themselves  in  it.  I  should  not 
dare  trust  myself  to  tell  here  what  I  know  of 
these  loyal,  unselfish  men  who  constitute  the 
Council,  and  who,  in  the  midst  of  large  affairs 
demanding  their  attention,  have  given  their  serv- 
ices without  stint  to  the  work  of  this  Brother- 
hood, because  they  feel  sure  it  is  God's  work 
and  is  worth  while. 

To-night  we  have  one  of  the  most  striking  il- 
lustrations of  this  that  could  come  to  us.  In  the 
report  read  this  morning,  you  may  have  ob- 
served the  statement  that  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Council  the  work  now  demands  the  full  time  and 
energies  of  the  best  available  man  as  General 
Secretary,  and  the  hope  was  expressed  that  it 
might  be  possible  soon  to  announce  such  an  ap- 
pointment. The  time  has  come  earlier  than  was 
expected  when  the  report  was  written,  and  to- 
night I  have  the  unspeakable  privilege  of  tell- 
ing you — and  I  cannot  express  the  joy  which 
comes  to  us  in  the  fact^ — that  a  man  whom  you 
all  know  and  recognize  as  a  man  of  power, 
who  might  have  had  his  pick  of  any  position 
of  honor  and  dignity  and  influence  in  the 
church,  has  thought  it  worth  while  to  link 
his  life  with  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of 
America. 

It  is  with  happiness  that  I  cannot  put  into 
words,  that  I  am  able  to  announce  to  you  that 
the  general  secretaryship  of  the  Brotherhood 
will  be  filled — and  grandly  filled — from  this  time 
forward  by  Dr.  Ira  Landrith. 


XIII 
EEMARKS 

BY  DR.  LANDRITH 

Because  this  proposal  has  not  been  made  by 
a  single  man,  but  by  the  unanimous  action  of 
a  council  of  men,  and  apparently  approved  by 
this  great  company  of  men,  and  because  I  am 
neither  modest  enough  nor  maidenly  enough  to 
say  it,  I  cannot  simper,  ' '  This  is  so  sudden. ' '  It 
is  not  sudden,  but  it  was  not  sought,  either ;  and 
if  there  is  any  man  here  who  wants  this  job,  he 
can  see  me  after  this  meeting.  I  shall  not  be 
misunderstood,  I  hope.  In  all  this  company 
there  could  be  no  man  who  appreciates  more 
profoundly  than  I  do  this  expression  of  your 
good  will,  the  confidence  of  this  council  of  pray- 
ing men  who  have  been  our  leaders,  and  the  mag- 
nificent opportunity  afforded  me  for  usefulness 
in  the  cause  of  Christ  as  that  cause  is  repre- 
sented by  the  Presbyterianism  of  America.  It 
is  because  of  the  tremendous  responsibility,  and 
of  my  own  profound  consciousness  of  it,  that  I 
shrink  from  the  position  which  has  been  offered 
me.  But  if  God-led  men  are  led  to  approach  a 
man,  that  man  is  a  common  coward  if  he  flees 
from  them  and  duty. 

204 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  205 

I  wish  I  could  make  my  voice  heard  in  the 
heart  of  every  Presbyterian  man  in  this  world, 
when  I  tell  you  what  I  have  come  to  know  of  this 
company  of  devoted  men,  and  of  how  long,  how 
earnestly,  and  how  prayerfully  they  have  con- 
sidered this  question.  I  would  like  to  make  you 
understand  if  I  could,  how  they  have  made  me 
feel  that  the  very  ground  whereon  I  trod  was 
holy  ground.  I  am  accustomed  to  councils  of 
Christian  ministers.  I  am  a  churchman,  and  as 
such  have  had  somewhat  to  do  with  official  ec- 
clesiasticism.  I  am  not  unacquainted  with  the 
sincere  piety  of  devout  clergymen;  but  it  has 
been  a  most  interesting  and  wholesome  experi- 
ence to  sit,  as  a  Christian  minister,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  manifestly  greater  devotion  and 
more  genuine  spirituality  and  piety  of  a  com- 
pany of  men,  all  of  them  men  of  affairs,  who 
have  been  willing  to  leave  large  interests  for  any 
length  of  time,  under  any  conditions  of  financial 
stress,  in  order  that  the  Master's  work  might  not 
be  neglected  in  what  was  also  its  hour  of  great- 
est need. 

All  this  has  helped  me  to  answer  the  question 
that  has  come  to  my  own  heart  many  times 
within  the  last  two  or  three  days :  ^ '  Do  you  feel 
called  to  this  work?"  Yes,  I  do,  and  because 
I  do  and  because  as  a  member  of  this  Brother- 
hood I  am  bound  to  practice  what  it  preaches, 
** Christ  on  the  throne  and  man  on  the  cross," 
I  am  going  to  do  the  best  I  can,  and  God  will 
take  care  of  the  results. 


206  THE   PRESBYTEEIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

The  hour  is  too  late  for  an  'inaugural."  I 
am  not  going  to  waste  your  time  telling  you  about 
my  personal  limitations.  They  will  speak  for 
themselves  eloquently  enough.  I  shall  not  tell 
you  either  what  I  am  going  to  do.  You  will  have 
to  spend  enough  time  hereafter  enumerating  the 
things  that  I  have  failed  to  do.  I  have  no  as- 
surance to  give  you  of  what  particular  direction 
and  what  plans  in  detail  this  Brotherhood  and 
its  new  general  secretary  will  enter  on.  Only 
God  knows,  and  with  God's  leadership  we  shall 
find  out.  There  will  of  course  be  literature  to 
prepare,  and  that  will  give  us  immediate  care. 
There  will  be  letters  to  write  and  there  will  be 
records  to  keep.  There  will  be  time  for  the 
hearing  of  suggestions  that  other  people  make 
and  the  probably  less  wise  ones  we  will  ourselves 
make.  There  will  be  necessity  for  listening  to 
me  on  many  occasions  when  you  would  rather 
not,  but  you  have  brought  it  on  yourselves  by 
making  the  blunder  of  opening  the  way.  A 
friend  of  mine  who  knows  me  too  well  asked 
to-day:  ^'What's  the  matter  with  you!  Are 
you  sick?  You  haven't  said  a  word  since  this 
convention  started. ' ' 

T  have  been  told  more  than  once  by  none-too- 
friendly  friends  that  I  came  into  this  delightful 
church  union  for  the  purpose  of  ^'getting  a  job," 
— I  got  it;  and  to-night  hard  by  a  little  college 
down  in  the  Southland  a  woman 's  tears  are  fall- 
ing, and  a  little  girl  is  weeping,  because  I  got 
it.    In  that   college   to-morrow  morning,   too, 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  207 

there  will  be  anxiety  and  uncertainty  and  dis- 
tress, because  teachers  and  students  do  not  know 
yet  what  I  know,  that  accepting  this  position 
does  not  mean  the  hurtful  relinquishing  of  any 
other  great  interest.  I  shall  not  neglect  the 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood,  but  I  will  not  de- 
stroy anything  else  I  have  ever  tried  to  build  up 
— and  you  will  not  expect  me  to  do  it,  will 
you? 

I  like  this  evening's  meeting.  I  enjoyed 
hearing  this  Moderator  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States,  and  this  Mod- 
erator of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
same  United  States  of  America.  I  am  not 
unfamiliar  either  with  some  of  the  senti- 
ments they  have  been  expressing.  I  have 
heard  a  little  about  union  myself  during 
these  several  years,  and  to-night  I  have 
listened  to  it  with  the  comfortable  feeling  that 
there  was  no  anti-unionist  to  molest  and  no  un- 
friendly newspaper  to  make  afraid.  I  am  pro- 
foundly interested  in  the  possibilities  of  this 
Brotherhood  in  relation  to  further  church  union ; 
and  just  here  you  will  forgive  me  if  I  say  that 
although  we  Cumberland  Presbyterians  came 
into  the  united  church  with  the  loyal  allegiance 
we  always  owed  to  our  church,  and  though  we 
have  no  regret  that  conditions  have  been 
changed,  there  is  still,  when  we  get  together,  a 
feeling  of  '4iominess"  which  I  do  not  want  to 
get  over  and  which  you  would  not  want  us  to 
get  over;  and  now  I  shall  feel  better  if  every 


208  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ex-Cumberland  Presbyterian  here  will  stand  up 
and  let  me  look  at  him.  Boys,  boys — some  of 
you  are  a  good  deal  older  than  I  am — ^but,  boys, 
we  have  always  stood  together;  will  you  not 
stand  by  me  now!  But  it  is  not  fair  to  you  to 
go  on  like  this. 

The  Presbyterian  Brotherhood,  in  my  own 
judgment,  is  the  most  potential  force  just  now 
on  the  face  of  things  Presbyterian.  There  is  no 
way  of  telling  all  it  is  going  to  do,  but  it  is  going 
to  do  this  or  it  is  not  going  to  do  anything,  and 
he  who  is  speaking  to  you  is  not  going  to  try  to 
do  anything  through  it.  It  is  going  to  promote 
spiritual  devotion  in  the  men  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  to  the 
end  that  these  men  will  go  out  eagerly  seeking 
after  the  man  who  is  lost  and  will  arouse  the 
great  Presbyterian  Church  to  do  its  whole  duty. 
It  will  do  that. 

The  Brotherhood  will  not  antagonize  any 
present  Presbyterian  agencies,  but  it  will  help 
every  Presbyterian  cause  that  is  worth  while. 
It  will  spend  very  little  time  in  the  mere  glorifi- 
cation of  names  and  creeds ;  but  it  will  spend  all 
necessary  time  in  the  glorification  of  Christ  ^s 
name  and  in  doing  Christ 's  service.  In  its  daily 
ministrations  to  Christian  men  and  to  all  other 
men,  it  will  show  that  masculine  vigor,  that 
virile  zeal,  which  mean  success.  Ring  it  out! 
God  is  in  it !  God  cannot  fail,  and  as  long  as  men 
sit,  as  you  men  have  been  willing  to  do,  at  the 
feet  of  God,  men  cannot  fail. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  209 

Me.  Hargitt: — If  the  local  committee  needed 
any  compensation  for  their  services,  they  have 
been  amply  rewarded  by  the  opportunity  they 
have  had  to  know  and  serve  with  Dr.  Landrith. 
(Applause)  They  have  not  only  appreciated 
his  administrative  abilities,  but  they  have  learned 
to  love  him. 

Mr.  Holt. — Now,  gentlemen,  we  have  an 
interpolation  which  appeals  to  our  sense  of 
brotherhood  as  perhaps  few  things  can  do  that 
come  before  this  convention,  and  we  will  take 
up  for  five  minutes  the  situation  of  the  churches 
in  San  Francisco.  Eev.  John  S.  Thomas,  of 
San  Francisco,  will  address  us  on  this  subject. 

Eev.  John  S.  Thomas. — Gentlemen  of  the 
Brotherhood:  The  subject  that  I  am  to  speak 
on  this  morning  is  the  problem  of  the  city  of 
San  Francisco,  and  is  certainly  a  problem  pe- 
culiar to  our  land. 

In  the  first  place,  I  want  to  call  your  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  revelations  of  the  courts  of 
San  Francisco  during  the  past  few  months  have 
demonstrated  that  morally  the  city  of  San  Fran- 
cisco has  broken  down  more  completely  than  any 
other  city  on  record  in  Christendom.  And 
that  same  city  of  San  Francisco,  during  her 
fifty-seven  years  of  history,  has  been  neglected 
religiously  to  a  larger  extent  than  any  other  city 
of  the  land.  Therefore,  brethren,  I  insist  that 
it  is  but  Christian  logic  that  there  is  a  connection 


210  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

between  these  two  things.  For  if  the  Christian 
Church  stands  for  anything,  it  is  to  provide 
moral  caliber  for  her  men  and  women,  and  the 
same  institution  that  furnishes  that  quality  has 
not  been  furnishing  it  to  the  city  of  San  Fran- 
cisco to  the  degree  it  should  have  been  furnished 
through  her  half  century  of  history. 

To  bear  out  this  statement,  let  me  give  you 
another  fact.  Thirty  years  before  the  great 
disaster  there  were  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco, 
with  its  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  popula- 
tion, fifteen  thousand  members  of  Presbyterian 
churches.  In  1906,  with  a  population  which  had 
increased  to  five  hundred  thousand,  there  were 
still  only  fifteen  thousand  members  of  Presbyte- 
rian churches,  merely  going  to  prove  the  fact 
that  religiously  she  had  not  been  equipped  with 
sufficient  force  to  meet  the  religious  demands 
made  upon  her.    This  is  the  sum  of  it. 

From  1849  to  1852  the  city  of  San  Francisco 
grew  from  a  little  Spanish-Indian  village  to  a 
great  city  of  fifty-three  thousand.  The  men  and 
women  who  came  there  from  all  over  the  world 
were  godless,  reckless  people.  Among  them,  it 
is  true,  was  a  handful  of  the  better  sort,  but 
they  were  not  able  to  combat  successfully  the 
opposing  forces  of  evil. 

If  that  was  the  condition  of  the  old  city,  what 
is  going  to  become  of  the  new?  Five  square 
miles  of  ashes;  three  hundred  thousand  people 
practically  homeless ;  every  business  of  the  city 
destroyed.    That  is  the  situation.    It  is  now  up 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  211 

to  the  Christians  of  America  to  determine 
whether  the  new  city  of  San  Francisco  shall  be 
pagan  or  Christian.  That  is  the  appeal  I  make 
to  you.  A\'lien  you  go  back  home,  do  not  forget 
San  Francisco  needs  help.  It  is  a  call  for  help, 
for  the  sake  of  the  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
souls  that  are  going  to  perdition,  to  the  Presby- 
terian Brotherhood  of  America. 


XIV 
THURSDAY  MORNING 

Dr.  W.  H.  Wray  Boyle,  who  was  given  charge 
of  the  devotional  hour  in  both  days,  with  his 
subject  on  the  second  day,  *^  Purpose  and 
Power,"  announced  the  hymn,  '^In  the  Cross 
of  Christ  I  Glory. ' '  Mr.  Evans  led  in  other  de- 
votional songs,  the  convention  joining  heartily 
in  the  chorus. 

Dr.  Boyle  led  in  a  brief  prayer,  just  as  the 
sun  broke  through  the  morning  clouds :  ^ '  0 
Christ  of  the  illumined  face,  with  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  shining  in 
it,  be  thou  anew  for  us  all  the  great  Sun  of 
righteousness.  Lift  any  lingering  shadows  of 
doubt  or  sin  from  our  minds  and  hearts  and 
flood  us  with  thy  divine  grace,  that  we  may  be 
lights  in  the  world,  conspicuous  Christians, 
spirit-filled,  witnessing  Christians  to  the  honor 
of  thy  great  name.    Amen. '  ^ 

After  a  number  of  sentence  prayers,  the 
leader  opened  the  Bible  at  three  great  passages. 
He  said:  The  first  passage  is  foimd  in  Matt. 
28:18,  19:  ^'All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye  therefore.'*  We 
see   in   this  the   captain   and   the   soldier,    the 

212 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  213 

teacher  and  the  disciple,  the  master  and  the 
man  with  a  commission,  and  the  great  outstand- 
ing fact  is  this  in  a  line — all  power  is  of  God, 
all  agency  is  of  man. 

The  second  passage  is  closely  related.  It  is 
found  in  Mark  16:  20:  **And  they  went  forth, 
and  preached  every  where,  the  Lord  working 
with  them.''  Let  us  put  the  emphasis  where  it 
belongs — '^ihe  Lord  working  with  them." 
There  are  many  hard  tasks  in  the  Master's 
assignment,  but  no  impossible  ones  when  God 
and  the  worker  keep  together.  It  is  a  great 
thing  to  bring  the  calm  resolution  of  a  whole 
man  to  a  divinely  appointed  enterprise,  but  there 
is  one  thing  which  always  ought  to  come  before 
*  ^  getting  down  to  business ; ' '  that  is  getting  up 
with  God. 

The  third  passage  is  a  great  petition  from  one 
of  the  greatest  brotherhood  prayers  ever  ut- 
tered, Eph.  3:19:  ' '  That  ye  might  be  filled  with 
all  the  fullness  of  God."  It  is  your  privilege 
and  mine,  in  the  measure  in  which  heart  and 
mind  are  opened  to  the  divine  suggestion 
and  inspiration,  to  be  ^^  filled  with  all  the  full- 
ness of  God,"  just  as  a  quart  measure  let 
down  into  the  depths  of  the  ocean  is  filled 
with  all  its  fullness,  though  it  does  not 
hold  the  ocean.  It  holds  a  quart,  and  the  word 
has  it,  '^All  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth." 

Finely  appropriate  was  the  song,  *' Grace 
Enough  for  Me,"  most  impressively  sung  by 


214-  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Mr.  Evans,  the  great  company  of  men  joining 
in  the  chorus: 

''Grace,  fathomless  as  the  sea, 
Grace,  flowing  from  Calvary, 
Grace  for  time  and  eternity, 
Grace  enough  for  me. ' ' 

Dr.  Boyle  continued:  After  a  dispute  con- 
cerning the  birthplace  of  Thorwaldsen,  the 
sculptor,  the  matter  was  referred  to  the  artist 
himself,  and  he  said,  ^'What  matters  it  to  the 
world  or  to  me  where  I  was  born ;  March  the  8th, 
1797, 1  began  serious  work  at  Eome. ' '  And  what 
he  wanted  to  make  clear  was  this,  that  his  real 
life  began  with  a  complete  consecration  to  a  real 
work.  Christianity  is  imperial  in  its  demands. 
It  surveys  a  life  in  its  powers  and  purposes  and 
says,  **I  must  be  supreme,  if  anything.''  The 
offering  of  Calvary  was  not  half  an  offering, 
and  the  confession  of  a  true  discipleship  is  al- 
ways something  like  this,  '*I  believe  and  I  be- 
long." 

Devotion  and  duty  must  go  hand  in  hand — 
the  witness  of  the  lip  and  the  better  witness  of 
the  life.  The  crest  of  John  Calvin  bears  the 
picture  of  a  human  heart  amid  leaping  flames 
and  this  legend,  *  ^  0  God,  I  burn  for  thee ; ' '  and 
its  lesson  is  clear.  In  the  line  of  evident  duty, 
try;  he  who  fails  while  earnestly  attempting  is 
yet  a  conqueror,  he  has  himself  at  his  best;  in 
the  line  of  devotion,  pray ;  prayer  is  the  tropical 
zone  of  the  soul  with  growths  Godward;  in  the 
line  of  privilege,  communicate ;  God  is  ever  ut- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  215 

tering  himself  in  love;  in  living,  loving  obedi- 
ence we  ought  to  utter  ourselves.  On  the 
pedestal  of  a  statue  erected  in  Brooklyn  to  the 
memory  of  a  great  general,  these  words  are  in- 
scribed: ^^  Everything  with  him  was  subordi- 
nated to  duty. ' '  And  when  Jesus  bared  his  brow 
beneath  the  heavens  of  divine  approbation  and 
said,  ^*I  must  work  the  work  of  him  that  sent 
me,''  he  had  already  subordinated  everything 
to  the  supreme  mission  of  world-saving.  Guided 
by  the  impulse  of  absolute  love  in  him,  his  action 
remains  through  marshaling  centuries  the 
epic  of  all  philanthropy  and  the  ideal  of  all 
redemptive  work.  Into  the  vocabulary  of  the 
Infinite,  whose  purposes  took  in  a  whole  eternity, 
came  this  language  of  the  finite  at  the  door  of 
a  passing  opportunity,  ^^ While  it  is  day." 

The  crying  need  of  the  world  at  this  hour  is 
an  empowered  Christianity,  whether  the  power 
be  distributed  through  institutions  or  illustrated 
in  individual  life.  Recently  this  question  came 
to  me :  ^'  If  this  nation  perish  by  the  dishonor  of 
home  ideals  or  by  lack  of  integrity  in  business 
methods,  will  not  the  guilt  lie  at  the  door  of  the 
church?'*  Startled  at  the  question,  I  replied, 
'  ^  Why  at  the  door  of  the  church ! "  Is  it  because 
the  church  has  ceased  to  grapple  seriously  with 
the  tasks  and  problems  assigned  to  her?  Is  it 
because  the  hothouse  of  social  demands  is  pro- 
ducing a  race  of  weaklings  who,  like  the  children 
of  Ephraim,  ''turn  back  in  the  day  of  battle," 
instead  of  a  race  of  heroes?    Is  it  because  the 


216  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

professed  ^^sons  of  God''  are  not  virile  enough 
in  their  religious  convictions  to  whip  with  the 
Master's  whip  of  knotted  cords  the  desecrator 
of  the  honor  of  the  home  and  the  betrayer  of 
the  honor  of  the  market  place!  And  with  an 
enlightened  conscience  on  the  throne,  we  must, 
as  men,  not  only  front  the  seriousness  of  these 
questions,  but  by  the  grace  of  God,  resolutely 
answer  them.  The  world  is  not  dying  for  want 
of  a  creed,  that  is  a  form  of  faith;  it  is  dying 
for  want  of  conduct,  that  is  an  operating  faith. 
The  most  striking  thing  about  that  great  picture, 
Quatre  Bras,  is  that  the  front  ranks  of  the 
English  infantry  are  on  their  knees  preparing 
to  repel  a  fierce  assault  of  French  cavalry,  and 
we  may  be  very  sure  that  the  very  front  ranks 
of  our  Brotherhood  all  across  the  wide  continent, 
doing  and  daring  and  enduring,  will  be  men  on 
their  knees ;  men  who,  in  the  expressive  language 
of  a  master  mechanic,  are  **  connected  up  with 
force  at  the  power  house;"  impassioned  men; 
men  who  believe  intensely,  with  belief  asserting 
itself  in  aggressive  service. 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  do  God's  will,  but  there 
is  a  greater  thing — the  purpose  to  do  it.  With- 
out persistency  of  purpose  and  singleness  of  aim 
no  great  work  has  ever  been  accomplished. 
True  greatness  with  which  intrinsic  manhood 
blossoms  forth  into  the  noblest  individual 
existence,  does  not  spring  up  and  take  shape  in 
a  single  night.  It  is  ever  the  result  of  long  ac- 
cumulating circumstances  from  without,  together 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  217 

with  a  steady  pressing  forward  within  the  man. 
The  esprit  de  corps  of  the  Christian  profession 
is  loyalty  to  Christ,  and  the  real  knight  of  a 
faultless  ideal  and  a  fearless  endeavor  is  Paul, 
and  this  because  his  whole  being  throbbed  in 
consonance  with  his  dynamic  ^^do." 

Three  times  he  uses  it  with  an  absoluteness 
of  faith  which  laughs  at  difficulty  and  triumphs 
best  in  the  face  of  opposition.  How  fine  the 
evolution — '^Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to 
dof — readiness  to  serve.  ^'This  one  thing  I 
do" — resolution  for  service.  ^^I  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me" 
— reliance  in  service.  What  a  magnificent  pat- 
tern for  the  Brotherhood  man !  Discovering  in 
the  Christ  an  ideal  Master,  Paul 's  lips  are  sancti- 
fied by  this  kingly  confession,  *^I  am  a  servant 
of  Jesus  Christ."  The  cool  logician  before 
whom  the  Christians  had  trembled  now  became 
their  defence,  and  over  against  the  scathing 
analysis  of  the  Grecian  mind  and  its  anti-Chris- 
tion  polemic,  he  flung  out  the  banner  of  the  cross 
and  declared  its  Christ  to  be  a  personality  at 
once  unique  and  alone  in  the  universe.  Calmly 
he  declared  himself  willing  to  be  accursed  that 
so  his  brethren,  his  ^^  kinsmen  according  to  the 
flesh,"  might  be  saved;  as  calmly  he  went  down 
into  the  prison  cell  of  Nero,  because  he  knew 
that,  when  the  iron  gates  of  bondage  closed  be- 
hind him,  the  golden  gates  of  glory  would  open 
before  him,  with  a  Master's  ^'well  done,"  for 
well-doing.     Never  once  did  he  falter  in  his 


218  THE    PKESBYTERIAN    BEOTHEKHOOD 

career  of  active  usefulness  until  liis  work  was 
done.  To  place  precious  souls  as  jewels  in  the 
crown  of  his  Saviour's  eternal  rejoicing  was  the 
commanding  purpose  of  his  life.  * '  Sleeping,  he 
dreamed  of  souls ;  waking,  he  worked  for  them. ' ' 
Oh,  that  his  mantle  might  descend  upon  us 
here  this  morning!  Oh,  that  we  might  be  bap- 
tized just  now  with  the  spirit  of  Paul 's  earnest- 
ness; a  spirit  to  consume  the  dross  of  a  half- 
hearted religion  and  enable  us  before  a  very 
universe  of  opposing  circumstances  to  say: 

"My  heart  is  fixed,  eternal  God, 
And   fixed  on  thee; 
Now    my    immortal    choice    is    made — 
'Tis  Christ  for  me." 

Brothers,  in  him  who  is  '^the  tirstborn  among 
many  brethren,"  we  indicate  our  readiness  to 
serve,  when,  with  hand  clasped  in  hand  and  with 
heart  beating  over  against  heart,  we  rise  from 
this  hour  of  devotion  saying,  in  a  new  way,  ^ '  To 
me  to  live  is  Christ ; "  in  him  by  faith,  with  him 
in  communion,  like  him  in  character,  for  him  in 
service.  One  day  I  said  to  an  English  coast 
guard,  *^Wliat  would  you  do  if  you  received  a 
sealed  letter  within  ten  minutes,  saying,  ^Eeport 
at  Sydney,  Australia,  in  ^ve  weeks!'  *'  He  re- 
plied, ^^What  should  I  do?  Why,  pocket  my  in- 
structions and  act  on  the  spot.''  Would  God 
we  had  one  hundred  thousand  men  wearing  the 
blue  button  with  the  white  cross  in  that  spirit! 

No  man  has  ever  said,  ^'Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do,"  waiting  for  the  divine  indica- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  219 

tion  of  a  mission,  without  rising  in  the  strength 
of  holy  resolution  to  say,  ^^This  one  thing  I  do.'^ 
Indifference  never  wrote  great  books,  nor  un- 
dertook heroic  philanthropies,  nor  painted  glow- 
ing pictures,  nor  breathed  sublime  music;  all 
these  things  have  been  done  in  the  spirit  of 
whole-souled  earnestness.  There  was  a  diamond 
on  the  point  of  the  needle  that  pierced  the  Alps 
for  the  Mt.  Cenis  tunnel,  and  magnificent  pur- 
pose, backed  by  the  power  of  prayer,  must  open 
the  way  for  magnificent  work.  ^^Take  breath 
and  pull  hard'^  is  an  old-time  motto.  ^'Take 
breath' '  for  a  Brotherhood  man,  means  a  call 
for  the  higher  help ; ' '  pull  strong ' '  means  mighty 
purpose  to  act  along  the  line  of  prayer.  There 
is  more  or  less  hypocrisy  in  our  asking,  when 
we  say,  '^Lord,  have  mercy  upon  this  lost 
world, "  if  we  are  not  actively  engaged  in  helping 
to  find  it  and  save  it.  The  Lord  has  had  mercy, 
else  why  wounded,  ministering  hands  nailed  to 
a  cross!  If  we  honestly  say,  '^The  men  of 
America  for  the  Man  of  Galilee,''  we  must  at 
least  introduce  the  Man  to  the  men. 

Eesolution  is  the  holy  boldness  of  a  Christian 
man  aggressively  right ;  reliance  is  faith  linking 
itself  to  omnipotence  and  declaring  ^  ^  I  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me." 
When  Picton  hesitated  to  carry  out  an  order 
from  Wellington,  commanding  him  to  stop  the 
fire  of  a  Spanish  fort,  he  rode  up  to  the  ^^Iron 
Duke"  and  said,  '^Give  me  a  grip  of  your  con- 
quering right  hand  and  I  will  take  it/'  and  in 


220  THE    PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  strength  of  borrowed  inspiration,  he  did  take 
it.  Shall  we  not  slip  the  hand  of  faith  up  into 
the  mighty  hand  of  Him  who  always  leads  to 
triumph  and  catch  from  His  lips  the  strengthen- 
ing assurance,  '^This  is  the  victory  that  over- 
Cometh  the  world,  even  our  faith/' 

"One  little  hour,  and  then  the  glorious  crowning, 
The  golden  harpstrings  and  the  victor's  palm; 
One  little  hour,  and  then  the  hallelujah. 
Eternity's  long,  deep,  thanksgiving  psalm." 

Mr.  Holt. — Now  we  enter  upon  the  discussion 
of  that  which  is  without  doubt  the  ultimate  end 
and  aim  of  all  our  discussions,  ^'The  Practical 
Ministries  of  the  Brotherhood.*'  We  are  for- 
tunate to  have  for  the  leader  of  that  discussion 
Eev.  S.  Edward  Young,  D.  D.,  of  Pittsburg, 
who  has  been  at  the  heart  of  the  Brotherhood 
since  its  beginning.  Dr.  Young  will  now  take 
charge. 

Rev.  S.  Edward  Young. — We  have  very  seri- 
ous business  before  us  now.  Gathered  here  are 
Presbyterian  men  to  decide  to  do  things.  I  think 
there  is  not  a  greater  subject  on  the  program 
than  this:  **The  Practical  Ministries  of  the 
Brotherhood.''  Our  Brotherhood  must  ^^make 
good"  now  by  doing  the  things  whereunto  it  is 
sent,  or  it  ought  to  die,  and  will  die. 

In  the  course  of  this  conference  I  may  make 
a  speech,  probably  a  number  of  them;  but  I 
shall  not  make  any  speech  now.  Please  take  up 
the  program  and  see  if  we  cannot  do  something 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  221 

definite,  with  a  clear  idea  of  what  we  are  trying 
to  do,  in  the  next  hour  and  forty-five  minutes. 
We  shall  try  to  have  fifteen  minutes  left  at  the 
end  of  this  time  to  gather  up  what  we  have 
missed  and  say  something  new.  We  will  now 
have  about  thirty  minutes  on  the  subjects  as 
announced,  beginning  with  '^What  Can  the 
Brotherhood  Do  for  the  Church  Prayer  Meet- 
ing!" You  understand  that  we  will  not  follow 
these  subjects  in  unvarying  order,  and  of  course 
we  cannot  give  each  thirty  minutes.  There  will 
be  no  speech  longer  than  two  minutes.  To  have 
the  attention  of  this  company  of  delegated  men 
for  two  minutes  is  a  great  opportunity.  If  we 
shall  say  there  are  ^ve  hundred  here,  it  is  as  if 
one  man  should  listen  to  you  all  alone  for  one 
thousand  minutes,  and  it  is  worth  while  to  use 
these  two  minutes  well.  This  is  not  a  debate; 
it  is  just  a  suggestion  meeting.  Please  tell  us 
what  you  have  tried  and  found  a  success. 

Dr.  M.  L.  Haines,  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  will 
speak.  If  Mr.  Hanna  were  here  he  would  object 
to  Dr.  Haines  or  any  other  man  setting  him 
forth  as  an  example  of  what  one  man  can  do 
toward  interesting  church  members  in  the 
prayer  meeting,  but  he  is  a  good  example. 

Dr.  Haines. — You  know  his  spirit.  We  have 
increased  our  church  prayer  meeting  more  by 
the  spirit  of  that  man,  and  two  or  three  others 
of  that  spirit,  than  we  have  by  any  methods  we 
ever  tried,  and  we  have  tried  a  good  many.    But 


222  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

in  the  prayer  meeting  what  he  and  two  or  three 
other  men  have  said  counts  for  twice  as  much  as 
it  would  coming  from  the  lips  of  the  minister. 
A  minister  is  handicapped  in  certain  ways.  He 
is  paid  to  say  such  things,  and  if  you  can  get 
laymen  to  say  them  they  come  with  twice  the 
power.  When  they  stand  up  to  say  earnestly 
that  the  chief  secret  of  the  power  and  fruitful- 
ness  of  this  our  beloved  church  lies  in  the 
prayer  life  of  the  church,  the  people  begin  to 
feel  it. 

He  started  in  this  matter  some  two  years  ago. 
At  that  time  the  Session  and  the  Board  of 
Deacons  and  a  half  dozen  others  took  lists  of 
the  membership  and  began  systematic  personal 
visitations.  They  accomplished  something — all 
that  it  cost  and  more.  I  believe,  however,  that 
the  visit  to  the  family  in  the  evening,  as  some 
of  our  men,  inspired  by  Mr.  Hanna,  have  done 
and  are  doing  to  awaken  interest  in  the  prayer 
service  of  the  church,  will  accomplish  more  than 
anything  else.  After  all,  it  is  the  personal  touch 
of  men  with  men  that  accomplishes  more  than 
any  amount  of  machinery. 

Mr.  Allan  Sutherland. — Four  years  ago  we 
found  that  in  our  church  prayer  meeting  men 
were  conspicuous  by  their  absence,  so  the 
Brotherhood  called  on  the  Session  to  find  if  they 
could  secure  permission  to  take  charge  of  one 
Wednesday  evening  prayer  meeting  a  month. 
We  gained  permission  to  do  so,  and  we  are  still 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  223 

conducting  one  service  every  month,  and  at  dif- 
ferent times  we  have  had  more  men  than  women 
in  our  Wednesday  evening  service;  men  who 
never  before  heard  their  own  voices  in  prayer 
are  to-day  on  their  feet  whenever  there  is  an 
opportunity.  The  man  who  conducts  the  prayer 
meeting  must  take  his  seat  at  eight-thirty,  and 
from  that  on  the  meeting  is  conducted  by  the 
men  from  the  floor. 

Mr.  Lafferty,  Braddock,  Pa. — A  prayer 
meeting  committee  in  our  Brotherhood  which 
looks  after  the  men  who  do  not  attend  prayer 
meeting,  visiting  them  specially,  has  been  found 
very  successful  in  our  church. 

Ren  Mulford. — I  want  to  tell  you  what  the 
Advertisers'  Club,  of  Cincinnati,  has  done.  We 
had  been  having  our  meetings  on  Wednesday 
evening,  but  some  of  the  members  asked  that  the 
night  be  changed,  so  the  men  might  have  a 
chance  to  go  to  prayer  meeting,  and  we  changed 
it  to  Tuesday  night. 

Mr.  Gunter,  Norwood,  Cincinnati. — At  the 
first  meeting  of  our  Brotherhood  we  had  men 
there  who  had  never  prayed  in  public.  There 
were,  I  think,  seven  of  these  men  who  got  up  to 
lead  in  prayer  in  public  for  the  first  time  in 
their  lives.  One  of  these  men  was  here  yes- 
terday, perhaps  he  is  here  to-day.  Seventy- 
two  years  old.     Now  the  voices  of  these  men 


224  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

are  heard  in  our  prayer  meeting  every  Wednes- 
day evening. 

Mr.  Snowden",  Cincinnati. — Does  this  mean 
Sunday  evening  or  Wednesday  evening  prayer 
meeting?  Our  Brotherhood  one  Sunday  evening 
in  a  month  takes  charge  of  the  service.  We  have 
special  music,  good  singing,  and  the  men  of  the 
church  make  little  addresses.  We  are  not  good 
speakers,  but  do  an}i;hing  that  brings  the  men 
out.  What  we  want  is  to  bring  everyone  into 
the  work  of  the  church,  and  if  every  man  at 
some  time  is  given  that  opportunity,  he  is  going 
to  work  for  the  Master  with  renewed  zeal. 

Mr.  McKay,  Auburn. — Our  church  is  located 
among  working  people.  Our  men  take  certain 
streets  and  canvass  them,  going  to  the  door  and 
asking  for  the  man  of  the  house,  and  giving  him 
a  cordial  invitation  to  come  to  the  church 
services. 

Mr.  Potter,  St.  Louis. — Our  Brotherhood 
took  up  the  prayer  meeting  question,  and  in 
order  to  keep  up  the  interest  the  men  pledged 
themselves  to  be  there  three  nights  out  of  four 
each  month,  and  on  an  average  of  about  two 
nights  a  month  all  the  men  are  there.  The 
pastor  invites  men  to  lead,  and  they  come  pre- 
pared to  talk.  We  have  men  talking  there  that 
their  own  wives  and  mothers  would  not  know 
if  they  heard  them  talking. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  225 

De.  Young. — How  shall  the  men  of  the  church 
reach  the  non-church-going  men  and  bring  them 
to  church! 

Up  in  the  Adirondacks  one  summer  a  horse 
strayed  away.  Every  man  tried  to  find  the 
horse,  but  to  no  avail.  Finally,  a  half-simple 
fellow  declared  he  would  try.  In  half  an  hour 
or  so  he  came  into  the  camp  leading  the  horse. 
When  asked  how  he  found  him,  he  said :  ' '  Well, 
I  just  went  and  set  down  and  thunk,  now  if  I 
wuz  a  horse,  what  would  I  do  1  And  I  just  went 
and  done  that,  and  I  come  right  to  where  the 
horse  wuz.^' 

That  is  horse  sense.  If  you  want  to  know 
how  to  reach  the  non-church-going  man,  think 
yourself  into  his  place.  If  I  were  where  he  is, 
and  had  the  same  wife  (or  no  wife),  if  I  had 
been  raised  as  he  was,  if  I  had  the  same  objec- 
tions to  the  church,  what  would  be  the  first  thing 
that  would  reach  me!  How  could  a  man  get 
hold  of  me  ? 

Dr.  Biggee. — I  would  like  to  present  a  plan 
that  we  have  used  in  our  own  church.  That  is 
to  divide  the  town  up  into  districts.  We  have 
forty-five.  Give  each  man  a  district  and  make 
him  responsible  for  it,  and  have  him  keep 
account  of  it  in  a  little  book.  Here  is  my 
district;  I  know  each  and  every  man  in  it, 
and  all  about  it.  District  your  city;  place 
the  men  in  it  and  make  them  responsible,  and 
you   will    reach    the    non-church    goer.      Then 


226  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

keep  everlastingly  at  it  until  they  have  to  come 
or  die. 

Mr.  Glasgow,  Olney,  111. — We  have  a  card 
in  our  church  on  the  top  of  which  are  given  the 
hours  of  the  different  services,  the  Sunday 
school,  prayer  meeting,  and  preaching  service. 
Then  at  the  bottom  it  reads :  '  ^  The  members  of 
the  Brotherhood  cordially  invite  you  and  all 
your  friends  to  attend  the  services  of  the  church. 
^Come  thou  with  us  and  we  will  do  thee  good.' 
A  Sabbath  well  remembered  lives  through  all 
the  week.'' 

Then  the  members  of  the  Brotherhood  see  to 
it  that  these  cards  are  put  in  public  places,  in 
hotels,  restaurants,  barber  shops,  so  that  when 
men  see  them  they  will  pick  them  up.  As  our 
little  town  is  the  center  of  twenty-five  or  thirty 
miles  of  country,  a  great  many  traveling  men 
spend  Sabbath  there.  They  see  these  cards  and 
come  to  our  church,  and  then  we  have  a  man 
at  the  door  to  find  out  their  names  and  invite 
them  to  come  again. 

Mr.  Atwood,  Chicago. — I  have  had  consider- 
able experience  with  men  in  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work, 
and  I  tell  you  you  cannot  get  men  by  proxy. 
You  can  put  that  down  in  your  book.  If  you 
want  to  reach  men  you  must  get  them  by  per- 
sonal contact;  go  after  them  and  go  after  them 
and  go  after  them  and  go  after  them,  and  go 
after  them  again.     And  when  you  have  gone 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  227 

after  them  five  times,  go  after  them  the  sixth 
time,  or  go  after  them  until  you  get  them.  If 
you  camiot  get  them  by  persuasion,  get  some 
one  to  go  with  you  that  has  a  little  stronger  hold 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  you  will  bring 
them  that  time. 

Dr.  Young. — We  will  now  go  to  '*The  Man's 
Eesponsibility  for  the  Family  Altar."  Every 
man  who  grew  up  in  a  Christian  home,  or  who 
came  under  the  influence  of  the  Christian  home, 
stand  up  right  now.  [Practically  every  man 
stood  up.]  Now  you  see  that  if  there  are  to  be 
any  Christian  homes  in  our  land  twenty-five 
years  from  now,  we  must  have  Christian  homes 
now. 

Mr.  Fields,  Harvey,  111. — I  grew  up  in  a 
Christian  home;  it  was  a  Christian  home  not 
alone  in  profession,  but  in  practice.  When  my 
father  united  with  the  church,  that  very  night 
he  brought  his  family  round  the  family  altar, 
and  that  family  altar  was  sustained  as  long  as 
my  father  lived,  with  the  exception  of  one  year. 
That  one  year  we  somehow  drifted  away  from 
the  Master,  but  at  the  end  of  the  year  my  father 
said  we  must  have  the  family  altar  again.  It 
was  again  inaugurated  and  sustained  as  long  as 
my  father  lived.  When  I  was  married,  over 
forty  years  ago,  my  wife  and  I  established  a 
family  altar,  and,  praise  the  Lord,  it  is  burning 
to-day.    Had  I  not  had  the  influence  of  that  altar 


228  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

tlirown  about  me  by  my  father  in  my  childhood, 
I  undoubtedly  would  never  have  had  a  family 
altar  of  my  own.  If  there  is  anything  we  need 
on  this  earth,  it  is  the  help  we  receive  at  the 
family  altar.  If  there  is  a  brother  here  this 
morning  who  has  not  a  family  altar,  for  the  sake 
of  our  Lord  and  Master  go  home  and  get  down 
on  your  knees  with  your  family  round  the  altar, 
asking  him  to  give  you  strength  to  keep  it  burn- 
ing as  long  as  life  shall  last. 

Mr.  Wright,  Indiana.— I  cannot  remember 
when  I  did  not  hear  my  father  pray.  Some 
years  ago  when  I  was  the  pastor  of  a  church  in 
Kansas  I  canvassed  the  congregation  to  find 
how  many  family  altars  there  were.  There  were 
forty-two,  when  there  should  have  been  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  I  want  to  impress  upon  you  the 
great  need  we  have  of  just  this  thing — ^the  es- 
tablishment of  the  family  altar. 

Dr.  Young. — We  must  pass  on  now,  and  we 
will  take  up  ^'Men  Advancing  Home  and  For- 
eign Missions."  Rev.  Ernest  Hall,  of  Korea, 
will  say  a  few  words. 

Rev.  Ernest  Hall. — I  am  glad  to  tell  you 
how  much  Jesus  Christ  is  doing  in  Korea 
through  his  servants,  and  perhaps  ask  you  at 
the  close  what  you  are  going  to  do  about  it  ?  We 
have,  in  the  first  place,  a  Bible-studying  church. 
At  the  time  of  the  Korean  New  Year,  which 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  229 

comes  in  our  February,  we  get  the  men  together 
at  the  loafing  season  of  two  weeks,  for  Bible 
study.  Three,  four,  five,  sometimes  thirteen 
hundred  men  gather  for  Bible  study.  There  are 
one  hundred  and  ninety-two  Bible  classes  in  the 
heart  of  Korea,  and  to  these  classes  come  ten 
thousand  people.  We  have  a  Bible-studying 
church;  we  have  a  praying  church;  we  have 
family  altars,  and  are  bringing  the  children  up 
in  such  a  way  that  they  do  not  know  anything 
else  than  to  have  family  altars.  We  also  have  a 
witness-bearing  church.  The  Koreans  do  not 
know  anything  else  than  to  witness  for  Christ. 
One  of  the  questions  we  ask  when  anyone  ap- 
plies for  membership  in  the  church  is :  *  *  Have 
you  ever  told  the  message  of  Jesus '  love  to  some 
one  else!''  If  they  say  they  have,  they  will 
probably  be  kept  on  the  waiting  list,  and  if  not, 
they  must  come  again. 

At  our  men's  Bible  classes  we  have  had  them 
pledge  themselves  to  weeks  of  service,  going 
into  the  hinterland  to  tell  the  message  of  Jesus. 
We  have  natives  there  who  have  been  preaching 
continually  for  nine  and  ten  years. 

We  have  self-supporting  churches.  We  are 
glad  to  help  them  to  help  themselves.  They 
have  started  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine 
churches  during  the  last  year.  They  have  given 
this  last  year  over  $40,000  to  the  support  of  the 
Korean  church.  Last  year  we  had  two  hundred 
and  eight  schools,  and  now  we  have  three  hun- 
dred and  forty-four,  and  of  this  three  hundred 


230  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

and  forty-four,  three  hundred  and  thirty-four 
are  self-supporting. 

But  we  are  up  against  this  proposition.  We 
cannot  do  the  work  with  the  force  at  hand,  and 
we  have  sent  to  the  Foreign  Board  to  try  to  get 
twenty  men  and  equipment.  As  you  go  back  to 
your  homes  will  you  not  lay  this  matter  before 
your  congregations  I  We  must  have  twenty 
more  men,  and  if  anyone  here  wants  to  do  some- 
thing for  the  foreign  work,  see  me  after  this 
service. 

Dr.  Young. — We  go  now  to  ^  *  The  Problem  of 
the  City  and  the  Foreign-Speaking  Popula- 
tion.''  I  take  great  pleasure  in  introducing 
Rev.  E.  P.  Hill,  of  McCormick  Seminary,  Arch- 
bishop of  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago. 

OUTLINE  OF  ADDRESS  BY  REV.  EDGAR  P.  HILL,  D.  D. 

In  the  course  of  an  address  to  the  students 
of  Yale  Divinity  School,  Phillips  Brooks  once 
remarked  that  when  he  entered  the  Theological 
Seminary  he  was  profoundly  impressed  by  the 
religious  enthusiasm  of  certain  students.  But  as 
he  met  those  same  men  week  after  week  in  the 
classroom,  he  discovered  that  they  rarely  had 
their  lessons.  *^In  other  words,''  said  Bishop 
Brooks,  **they  failed  to  make  connection  be- 
tween the  boiler  and  the  engine."  I  take  it  we 
are  gathered  here  to  make  connection  between 
a  boiler  and  an  engine. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  231 

The  Christian  men  of  the  churches  are  trying 
to  do  something  for  the  kingdom.  Here  is  a 
great  task  before  them — the  transforming  of  the 
city  with  its  selfishness,  sorrow  and  sin  into  a 
new  city  in  which  God 's  will  shall  be  done.  One 
of  the  greatest  factors  in  city  life  is  the  presence 
of  the  foreigner.  We  do  not  grasp  the  serious- 
ness of  the  problem.  During  the  past  six  years 
j5ve  million  have  come  from  the  other  side  of  the 
water — enough  to  repopulate  the  state  of  Dela- 
ware fifteen  times,  and  they  are  largely  in  our 
cities. 

One  of  the  most  alarming  things  that  has  hap- 
pened since  the  days  of  the  war,  happened  in 
Chicago  a  month  or  so  ago.  Just  before  an 
election  there  assembled  on  the  lake  front  a 
great  mass  of  men;  not  there  as  free  citizens, 
but  lined  up  as  so  many  Italians,  so  many  Bo- 
hemians, so  many  Poles,  to  be  delivered  in  great 
blocks  at  the  polls  the  next  week.  If  we  have 
come  to  the  time  when  great  blocks  of  men  can 
be  delivered  at  the  polls,  the  days  of  our  democ- 
racy are  gone  and  the  days  of  feudalism  have 
come. 

In  Chicago  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  this  problem  must  be  met  as  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary problem,  and  we  must  make  the  appeal 
to  these  people  by  means  of  ministry. 

You  may  put  up  a  little  building  in  the  Bo- 
hemian quarter  with  a  sign  across  the  front 
reading,  '^Bohemian  Presbyterian  Mission,'' 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  decades  you  may  in- 


232  THE   PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

duce  a  few  to  cross  the  threshold.  Out  on  the 
Pacific  coast  the  men  decided  they  would  try 
to  reach  the  cheap-lodging-house  men,  and  in- 
stead of  putting  up  a  building  with  a  spire  on 
it,  they  made  their  appeal  through  a  reading 
room,  a  building  that  cost  $40,000 ;  and  by  actual 
count  they  had  over  a  thousand  men  there  every 
day  in  the  year.  And  all  the  time  the  men  had 
been  making  friends  with  these  other  men  and 
trying  to  lead  them  to  Christ. 

Only  a  few  days  ago  I  had  a  letter  from  a  man 
in  Denver,  who  said :  ^  ^  Ten  years  ago  I  entered 
Portland  a  tramp.  I  went  into  that  reading 
room  and  a  man  came  and  talked  to  me,  showed 
himself  to  be  a  friend  and  led  me  to  Christ,  and 
here  I  am  in  Denver,  a  preacher  of  the  gospel. ' ' 

It  is  almost  a  tragedy  to  see  men  looking  for 
some  easy,  impersonal  way  of  carrying  the 
gospel  to  their  fellow-men.  It  cannot  be  done 
that  way.  It  is  a  matter  of  personal  ministry. 
Christian  men  must  get  hold  of  the  individual 
foreigner  and,  becoming  his  friend,  lead  him  to 
Christ. 

Mr.  Stelzle,  in  an  address  not  long  ago,  said 
he  had  been  brought  into  the  church  by  a  Chris- 
tian woman  coming  in  and  sitting  down  beside 
his  mother  and  sympathizing  with  her  in  her 
sorrow. 

In  one  of  our  large  cities  a  poor  girl  came  in 
at  the  rear  door  of  a  saloon  sick  and  drunk.  An 
officer  took  her  to  a  refuge  home,  where  she  was 
cared  for,  and  then  the  wife  of  the  wealthiest 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  233 

man  in  that  city  took  the  girl,  invited  her  to  her 
home,  told  her  of  Christ,  and  in  a  few  weeks  it 
was  my  privilege  to  receive  her  into  the  mem- 
bership of  the  church.  The  work  must  be  done 
by  personal  ministry. 

This  is  the  solution  of  the  problem  in  the  city, 
and  in  the  village  as  well;  that  we  go  to  these 
men  and  take  them  by  the  hand  and  show  them 
that  we  are  brothers  and  lead  them  into  the 
radiant  presence  of  Christ. 

Dr.  Young. — This  subject  is  now  turned  over 
to  you  for  further  discussion,  and  I  hope  you 
will  make  good  use  of  the  time. 

Dr.  Samuel  McLanahan,  New  Jersey. — I 
want  to  put  in  a  plea  for  the  foreigner  who  can- 
not speak  English  or  understand  it.  Many  of 
them  have  come  to  America  in  the  present  cen- 
tury, and  the  great  percentage  of  them  are  men 
between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and  forty-five. 
They  are  the  men  who  are  going  to  determine 
the  politics  of  our  American  cities,  and  are  going 
to  determine  the  next  presidential  election  very 
largely.  I  plead,  not  for  America,  but  for  these 
men.  They  feel  that  we  Americans  very  largely 
look  down  on  them,  that  we  despise  them,  that 
we  will  not  associate  with  them,  and  it  is  for 
us  Christian  men  to  give  them  the  idea  that  we 
are  their  friends.    How  can  we  do  it  1 

One  way  is  to  find  out  that  they  are  about  us. 
In  a  little  town  in  New  Jersey  there  were  three 


234  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

to  four  hundred  Poles  and  Hungarians,  and 
the  Protestant  Americans  did  not  know  they 
were  there  until  a  meeting  was  called,  and  three 
hundred  men  came  and  organized  a  Protestant 
church.  Over  in  Illinois,  in  a  medium-sized 
town,  it  was  found  that  there  were  four  hun- 
dred Bulgarians  in  one  building,  and  yet  the 
people  did  not  know  they  were  there. 

If  we  cannot  speak  their  tongue,  we  can  give 
them  literature,  and  many  of  them  can  read. 
Give  them  a  chance  to  learn  English,  and  let 
them  learn  to  read  for  themselves  the  message 
of  the  New  Testament. 

Mr.  Eook,  Olney,  111.— That  is  what  the 
Brotherhood  can  do.  We  have  a  big  colony  of 
Syrians  that  our  men  are  teaching  English,  and 
these  men  all  belong  to  our  Brotherhood. 

I  want  to  say,  too,  that  we  must  stop  talking 
before  these  people  and  calling  them  ^*for- 
eigners. '  ^  Most  of  them  come  to  us  because  they 
love  liberty  and  want  to  be  one  of  us.  One  of 
the  elders  of  my  church  almost  wrecked  our 
work  by  saying  to  me,  **Who  are  these  for- 
eigners ? "  I  said,  ^  ^  They  are  the  men  for  whom 
Christ  died,  and  we  want  them  in  this  church  for 
his  sake.'' 

Mr.  Kalispell,  New  Jersey. — I  come  from  a 
town  of  twenty  thousand,  and  of  these,  ten  thou- 
sand are  foreigners.  The  foreigner  comes  to 
our  country  because  he  thinks  he  will  have  a 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  235 

better  opportunity  to  do  for  himself,  and  his 
soft  spot  is  his  child.  He  wants  his  child  to  be 
better  than  he  is ;  he  wants  his  child  to  be  a  good 
American,  and  if  you  can  reach  the  foreign  cliild 
through  the  Sunday  school,  you  have  the  parent. 
When  you  touch  the  child  you  touch  the  parent 's 
soft  spot. 

Me.  Gantz,  Evansville,  Ind. — I  want  to  say 
that  I  was  a  foreigner  some  twenty-four  years 
ago.  I  was  homesick,  and  I  discovered  then  that 
Jesus  Christ  comes  into  homesick  hearts.  Re- 
member, there  is  a  period  when  the  foreigner  is 
always  homesick;  there  comes  a  time  when  his 
heart  is  melting;  then  you  can  reach  him,  and 
you  will  always  have  him.  That  is  the  time,  the 
opportunity.  Every  man  that  ever  leaves  his 
native  land  at  some  time  or  other  longs  to  go 
back.  Go  to  him  then  and  bring  him  home,  to 
his  heavenly  home. 

Dr.  Bigger. — We  will  not  be  interested  in  the 
foreigner  until  we  study  the  foreign  question, 
and  among  the  things  you  can  do  is  to  organize 
a  mission  study  class  among  men.  Our  men  are 
studying  Dr.  Strong's  question  of  the  twentieth 
century  city. 

Dr.  Young. — Now  we  will  hear  that  great 
apostle  of  labor,  Rev.  Charles  Stelzle.  When 
the  Presbyterian  Church  formed  a  Department 
of  Labor,  old,  conservative,  old-fashioned  men 


236  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

like  myself  were  trembling.  We  felt  that  this 
was  a  delicate  work,  and  would  probably  bring 
us  into  serious  complications.  But  somehow  or 
other  Stelzle,  without  putting  his  foot  in  it,  has 
done  things. 

Rev.  Chas.  Stelzle. — ^I  shall  simply  intro- 
duce the  subject,  then  the  discussion  will  be 
yours,  and  if  you  do  not  make  good  use  of  the 
time,  I  threaten  to  make  a  speech. 

Eeference  was  made  to  the  fact  that  the  great 
majority  of  our  ministers  come  from  the  country 
or  small  towns.  That  is  only  too  true.  In  one 
of  our  western  cities,  out  of  one  hundred  min- 
isters, only  two  were  raised  in  the  city.  Ninety- 
eight  came  from  country  towns.  And  what  is 
the  result?  Most  of  our  city  churches  are  con- 
ducted upon  country-church  programs.  That  is 
why  our  churches  are  losing  out  in  the  cities. 
The  city  church  must  be  conducted  by  city  men, 
in  the  city  spirit,  with  a  city  program.  And 
when  you  do  that,  your  church  in  the  city  will 
win  out. 

We  all  know  about  the  great  tidal  wave  of 
temperance  that  is  sweeping  over  this  country; 
but,  gentlemen,  what  are  you  going  to  do  for  the 
masses  of  workingmen  who  are  now  shut  out  of 
the  saloons,  which  formerly  were  the  only  social 
centers  for  workingmen !  It  would  be  the  great- 
est mistake  of  the  temperance  movement  to 
adopt  a  merely  negative  policy — shutting  up 
all  the  saloons  and  giving  the  workingman  no 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  237 

other  place  to  go.  I  would  go  to  the  far- 
thest limit  with  any  man  in  fighting  the 
saloons;  but  I  would  also  set  before  you  the 
importance  of  providing  social  centers  for  the 
workingmen. 

Some  time  ago  I  was  invited  to  talk  to  a  Pres- 
byterian Brotherhood  in  a  rather  small  town. 
The  audience  was  very  small,  it  was  a  rainy 
night,  and  when  I  was  introduced  the  chairman 
apologized  for  the  smallness  of  the  crowd.  He 
said  it  was  a  bad  night,  that  there  was  a  meet- 
ing in  another  part  of  town,  and  a  good  many  of 
the  people  were  there.  I  said  to  this  chairman: 
*^When  I  got  off  the  train  to-night,  I  did  not 
know  just  where  the  church  was,  except  that  I 
had  been  told  it  was  two  blocks  from  the  station. 
I  walked  over  to  a  drug  store  and  said  to  the 
man  behind  the  counter,  *  Can  you  tell  me  where 
the  Presbyterian  Church  is?'  He  said,  ^I  do 
not  know,'  and  turning  to  the  clerk,  he  said, 
^Tell  this  gentleman  where  the  Presbyterian 
Church  is. '  The  clerk  said  he  was  not  sure,  but 
he  thought  it  was  about  three  blocks  up  the 
street.  I  met  a  man  on  the  sidewalk  and  asked 
him  where  the  Presbyterian  Church  was,  and  he 
said,  *  Indeed,  I  do  not  know  where  it  is.'  I 
walked  up  the  street  about  half  a  square  and  met 
a  young  woman  coming  along  with  a  little  boy 
about  eight  or  ten  years  old,  but  she  did  not 
know  where  the  church  was.  I  walked  on  until 
I  got  across  from  the  church,  and  a  young  man 
came  running  out  of  a  store,  whom  I  stopped 


238  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

with  the  same  question.  lie  said,  *I  am  not 
sure,  but  I  think  that  is  it  right  across  the 
street. '  ' '  I  was  in  a  town  of  not  more  than  ten 
thousand  people,  the  church  was  in  the  center 
of  the  town,  it  was  a  hundred  years  old,  its 
steeple  could  have  been  seen  from  any  part  of 
town,  and  yet  there  were  five  people  who  did  not 
know  where  it  was. 

I  think  some  of  us  take  too  many  things  for 
granted.  I  teach  a  class  in  Christian  sociology 
in  New  York.  One  day  I  said,  in  speaking  of 
advertising  the  church,  ^^  Suppose  you  had 
never  taken  a  bath  in  all  your  life,  but,  waking 
some  morning,  you  concluded  you  needed  a  bath ; 
what  kind  of  soap  would  you  usef  They  all 
shouted,  *^ Ivory!''  ^^Why  would  you  use 
Ivory  r'  Well,  they  said,  because  there  were 
so  many  advertisements  of  it  in  the  newspapers 
and  magazines.  The  ^'fifty-seven  varieties" 
are  advertised;  Ivory  Soap  is  advertised,  and 
if  I  were  to  mention  the  Kock  of  Gibraltar,  what 
would  all  think  of?  AVliy?  Because  for  years 
these  men  have  been  creating  an  atmosphere, 
and  when  the  time  comes  that  you  want  soap,  or 
pickles,  or  something  else,  there  is  just  one  kind 
that  you  think  of. 

Now,  then,  why  cannot  the  church  be  put  on 
some  basis  like  that?  Put  the  same  hard  busi- 
ness sense  into  your  church  work  that  you  put 
into  your  business. 

We  will  now  have  a  general  discussion,  giv- 
ing each  man  two  minutes. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  239 

Mb.  Edwards,  Springfield,  Ohio. — The  reason 
we  think  of  the  *  ^  fifty-seven  varieties '  ^  when  we 
want  pickles  is  that  that  man  is  making  us  want 
something  that  he  has  in  this  line  that  we  do 
not  have  to  die  to  enjoy.  If  all  these  gentlemen 
will  make  it  known  to  all  that  they  come  in  con- 
tact with  that  Christianity  is  something  that  we 
can  enjoy  in  this  life  and  that  yon  do  not  have 
to  die  to  get,  then  your  work  will  be  successful. 

I  did  not  come  here  to  say  this,  I  came  to  say 
something  else.  Yesterday  there  was  a  sort  of 
hint  that  there  would  not  be  any  convention  next 
year,  because  it  is  presidential  election.  There 
will  be  a  convention  next  year,  not  because  it  is 
presidential  election,  but  because  it  is  the  elec- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ. 

Mr.  Higgins,  the  ^'Lumber- jack  Evangelist," 
of  Minnesota. — I  want  to  talk  for  a  moment  on 
this  subject.  Some  of  you  may  know  that  for 
the  last  twelve  years  I  have  been  preaching  the 
gospel.  Three  years  ago  I  gave  up  my  church 
to  give  my  entire  time  to  this  work  among  the 
laboring  men,  because  I  realized  this  was  a  vast 
field,  but  there  was  one  phase  of  the  work  I  did 
not  know,  and  that  was  dealing  with  the  foreign- 
ers, or  the  men  we  call  ^' hoboes.'^  So  I  put  on 
old  clothes  and  went  out  into  Dakota,  where  I 
worked  along  with  these  men,  no  one  knowing 
I  was  a  minister.  From  there  I  went  to  Arizona 
and  Mexico,  working  with  the  same  kind  of  men, 
but  no  one  knew  who  I  was.    And  when  it  came 


240  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

Sunday  all  I  did  was  to  wash  my  face — ^I  did 
not  wear  collar  or  tie,  and,  of  course,  wore 
overalls  and  blouse.  I  went  to  whatever  church 
was  in  the  towns  we  visited.  Congregational  or 
Methodist,  or  what ;  but  when  we  came  to  Port- 
land, Oregon,  I  went  to  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  to  hear  a  man  preach  about  the  assassi- 
nation of  McKinley.  I  was  treated  with  every 
kindness.  I  was  met  at  the  door  by  the  usher, 
and  while  I  must  confess  he  looked  me  over  a 
little  (I  was  wearing  my  overalls)  he  took  me  to 
one  of  the  best  seats  in  the  house,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  service  another  man  asked  me  who  I  was 
and  where  I  came  from.  They  introduced  me 
to  the  pastor,  and  he  said  he  hoped  I  would  come 
again.  I  went  out  of  that  church  saying: 
**Well,  if  I  am  a  workingman,  I  must  go  to 
church,  and  this  church  is  none  too  big  for  me. ' ' 
We  have  been  reading  in  a  monthly  maga- 
zine about  the  young  lady  who  has  gone  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  churches.  I  wish  she  had 
gone  in  the  right  spirit.  I  do  not  think  there  is 
any  church  in  the  country  but  what  wants  the 
laboring  man. 

Mr.  Chas.  T.  Thompson,  Minneapolis. — -*  *  The 
social  centers  for  the  people. ' '  I  ask  permission 
to  speak  on  this  subject,  because  it  is  one  es- 
pecially near  to  my  heart.  I  have  been  in  this 
work  since  1881,  and  one  of  the  best  men  we 
ever  had  to  help  was  this  ** apostle  of  labor," 
Mr.  Stelzle,  as  he  is  called. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  241 

Westminster  Church,  Minneapolis,  has  two 
settlements,  each  with  its  teachers,  its  kinder- 
garten, its  industrial  schools;  and  we  feel  that 
it  is  the  most  blessed  work  we  have  ever  been 
permitted  to  carry  on  in  the  service  of  our  Lord 
and  Master,  thus  assisting  in  the  work  of  these 
great  missions.  But,  as  I  say,  to  Mr.  Stelzle  is 
due  in  a  very  large  degree  the  development  of 
that  work  to  its  present  splendid  proportions. 

That  is  something  the  Brotherhood  can  take 
up.  See  if  you  cannot  find  some  such  centers. 
They  need  you,  you  need  them.  Here  is  your 
opportunity  to  elevate  men,  giving  them  some 
place  where  they  can  go  for  a  social  time.  You 
will  find  a  response. 

Mr.  Stelzle. — Let  us  have  a  discussion  of 
things  that  are  of  special  importance  to  work- 
ingmen,  such  as  shop  meetings.  There  are  men 
here  who  have  had  considerable  experience  in 
shop  meetings. 

Mr.  Davis,  Chicago. — I  would  like  to  say  a 
word  about  my  experience  seventeen  years  ago. 
I  was  working  on  a  railroad  in  Arizona.  As  I 
remember  it,  we  had  one  little  church  away  over 
in  the  far  side  of  the  town,  and  the  main  centers 
were  the  saloons.  There  was  no  place  for  the 
men  to  go — except  the  most  uninviting  places — 
if  they  did  not  go  to  the  saloons.  The  Santa  Fe 
took  up  this  question,  they  built  a  clubhouse 
for  this  division,  and  they  took  more  men  away 


242  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

from  the  saloons,  they  saved  more  drinking  on 
the  line,  than  all  the  churches.  A  number  of 
the  churches  then  took  up  the  matter  of  giving 
the  laboring  man  some  place  to  go  for  the  social 
side  of  his  life.  He  must  have  relaxation  from 
his  work.  You  cannot  have  a  man  go  every 
Sunday  morning  and  every  Sunday  evening  to 
preaching  and  think  he  will  stay  a  Christian. 
Until  you  provide  for  the  social  side  of  their 
lives,  you  will  never  get  the  workingmen. 

Mr.  Eeno,  Cincinnati. — Mr.  Chairman  and 
Brethren:  I  have  had  the  blessed  privilege  of 
doing  some  shop-meeting  work  among  foreign- 
ers— among  the  Hungarians — hundreds  of  whom 
are  employed  in  the  great  factories  of  this  city. 
I  have  been  astonished  at  the  attention  we  have 
received.  My  heart  has  been  touched  as  I  read 
the  history  of  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  years 
in  these  faces,  in  these  burning  eyes,  and  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  if  we  are  to  reach 
these  people  we  must  give  them  native  minis- 
ters, and  we  should  support  Presbyterian  insti- 
tutions such  as  are  located  at  Bloomfield  and 
Dubuque.  Give  them  ministers  of  their  own 
nationality,  reach  them  in  the  shops  and  in  the 
congested  districts  through  people  who  can 
speak  their  tongue. 

Mr.  Barnett,  Kentucky. — I  have  seen,  in  the 
L.  &  N.  shops  in  Louisville,  meetings  attended 
by  seven  and  eight  hundred  men.    In  the  Ken- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  243 

tucky  Wagon  shops  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  have  been 
holding  meetings  on  certain  days  of  the  week. 
There  we  met  the  men  on  the  platform  of  Chris- 
tian brotherhood.  We  had  good  music,  reading 
of  the  Scripture,  and  some  talking.  A  Catholic 
musician  told  me  once  that  years  ago  the  L.  &  N. 
employes  were  noted  for  their  drinking;  but 
after  the  shop  meetings  had  been  held  a  few 
years,  there  was  a  noticeable  change,  and  this 
man  gave  all  the  credit  to  the  shop  meetings. 

Mr.  Heineman,  Cleveland. — I  did  not  know  I 
could  talk  at  a  shop  meeting  until  I  tried  it.  It 
was  in  a  small  town.  We  started  a  phonograph 
and  the  men  gathered  around  until  there  were 
one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  at 
every  meeting.  After  that  we  would  have  sing- 
ing, reading  of  the  gospel  and  some  straight 
gospel  talks,  and  consequently  when  we  an- 
nounced an  evening  meeting  for  men,  they  came. 
You  can  get  the  men  if  you  go  after  them. 

Mr.  a.  C.  Crosby,  Chicago. — We  had  shop 
meetings  in  our  shop  in  Chicago.  I  had  the  son 
of  a  Presbyterian  minister  working  for  me,  and 
he  had  not  been  inside  of  a  church  for  sixteen 
years.  I  had  another  young  man  who  was  never 
in  a  church  except  at  funerals.  These  young- 
men  who  held  these  meetings  came  into  the  shop 
and  talked  good  gospel  sense,  sung  some  songs, 
and  these  two  young  men  requested  me  to  have 
them  come  back  again.    The  result  of  these  meet- 


244  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ings  was  that  where  forty  quarts  of  beer  had 
been  brought  in  there  at  the  noon  hour,  we  have 
three  now,  and  the  rest  is  milk. 

Rev.  Anderson,  Dayton,  Ohio. — I  have  been 
engaged,  otf  and  on,  in  shop  work  all  my  life. 
Recently  I  have  done  a  good  deal  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  The  hardest  thing  is 
to  get  men  to  go.  They  can  hardly  get  anyone 
but  preachers,  and  they  are  after  the  preachers 
all  the  time  to  go  at  the  noon  hour  and  talk  in  the 
shops.  But  I  want  to  say  to  you  laymen,  that  if 
a  few  of  the  business  men  would  go  into  the 
shops  and  give  gospel  talks  at  the  noon  hour,  you 
would  be  doing  a  lot  more  than  the  preachers 
can  do.  I  have  just  finished  a  series  of  meetings 
in  the  Davis  Screw  and  Machine  Shop,  and  while 
they  came  and  gave  me  respectful  attention,  I 
was  a  preacher  and  the  men  knew  it.  One  lay- 
man who  would  go  there  to  talk  would  have  more 
influence  on  these  men  than  all  the  preachers  in 
Dayton,  because  they  think  it  is  a  preacher's 
business.  But  when  a  layman  takes  the  time  to 
come  and  talk  to  them  about  religion,  they  think 
it  is  worth  while  to  pay  attention ;  it  means  more. 
You  are  hunting  for  work  in  your  Brotherhood? 
Here  is  your  chance. 

Mr.  Stelzle. — To  show  you  what  can  be  done 
along  this  line,  during  sixty  days  of  the  past 
year  the  Department  of  Church  and  Labor  en- 
tered four  hundred  shops,  enlisted  five  hundred 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  245 

ministers,  held  one  thousand  meetings,  dis- 
tributed fifty  thousand  Gospels,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  pieces  of  Christian  literature,  and 
the  men  talked  to  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million 
workingmen. 

I  am  glad  the  brother  from  Dayton  spoke ;  but 
the  preacher  can  do  this  work.  Some  people 
think  a  preacher  does  not  know  how  to  talk  to 
men.  Well,  if  he  doesn  %  he  had  better  quit  his 
job ;  that  is  what  he  is  paid  for.  While  it  is  true 
that  the  la^nman  can  do  this  work,  the  preacher 
can  do  it  too,  if  he  knows  how  to  approach  the 
men. 

I  remember  one  preacher  who  came  into  a 
shop  and  said,  '^Now,  men,  we  have  come  down 
here  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  do  you  good.'' 
That  queered  him  at  once.  ^'You  know,"  he 
said,  ^^we  are  all  workingmen,  the  only  differ- 
ence being  that  you  work  with  your  hands  while 
I  work  with  my  brains. ' '  That  was  the  limit.  I 
saw  several  fellows  in  that  shop  who  were  going 
to  night  school  three  nights  a  week,  and  I  saw 
men  there  who  were  using  their  brains  ten  times 
as  hard  as  that  preacher.  They  turned  away  in 
disgust. 

Next  day  another  preacher  came  down.  He 
came  up  on  the  platform  with  a  sort  of  swagger- 
ing way ;  he  did  not  say  much,  but  the  men  were 
disgusted  at  his  few  words.  He  apologized  for 
the  fact  that  he  was  a  preacher,  and  every  true 
workingman  despises  a  coward.  He  half  apolo- 
gized for  the  Bible  that  he  came  to  preach;  he 


246  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

lialf  apologized  for  the  ehurcli.  The  great  mass 
of  workingmen  will  listen  to  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  attentively  as  the  people  in  the 
churches,  and  they  despise  a  man  who  apolo- 
gizes for  that  gospel.  The  preachers  who  came 
to  these  shop  meetings  declared  unanimously 
that  they  had  never  been  listened  to  with  greater 
attention  than  in  these  shops  at  the  noon  hour. 
As  a  result  of  a  campaign  held  in  Chicago  a 
year  ago,  out  of  one  hundred  and  ten  shops, 
seventy-five  requested  weekly  meetings  for  the 
workingmen.  Here  is  a  work  that  the  Brother- 
hoods of  this  country  can  do,  and  it  seems  to 
me  it  is  one  of  the  most  important  along  the  line 
of  Christian  work. 

A  Delegate. — I  would  like  to  ask  what  we 
shall  do  when  an  objection  is  made  to  the  cost 
of  advertising? 

Mr.  Stelzle. — Does  it  pay  business  men  to 
advertise!  Yes.  All  business  men  here  will 
testify  to  the  value  of  advertising.  I  would 
make  good  on  it.  Start  a  definite  campaign  of 
advertising,  show  that  you  can  deliver  the  goods, 
and  after  you  have  demonstrated  that,  I  think 
you  can  get  sufficient  money  for  advertising. 
But  we  have  not  time  now  to  take  up  that  sub- 
ject. 

A  Delegate. — I  was  in  Pittsburg  last  year, 
and  everywhere  I  went  I  saw  the  advertisements 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  247 

of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church.  I  saw  them 
all  over  Pittsburg  and  Allegheny,  saying  that  a 
particular  sermon  would  be  preached  Sabbath 
night  by  Dr.  Young;  I  went,  and  there  were 
thousands  of  others  who  evidently  had  read  the 
advertisements,  too.  And  from  the  audience 
that  night  I  believe  it  pays  to  advertise. 

Dk.  Anderson,  Nashville. — I  would  like  to  say 
a  word  on  this  subject  of  expense  for  advertis- 
ing. Wlien  I  came  to  my  present  charge  one  of 
the  deacons  came  to  me  and  informed  me  that 
for  all  reasonable  advertising  the  Board  of  Dea- 
cons would  be  responsible.  Since  that  time  I 
have  been  zealously  trying  to  push  the  matter 
by  cards,  handbills  and  in  other  ways.  Up  to 
that  time  I  had  been  paying  my  own  bills  for  ad- 
vertising, but  they  said  '^It  is  our  business;  you 
do  the  work  and  we  will  pay  the  bills." 

Mr.  Wilson. — I  am  chairman  of  the  Brother- 
hood in  the  Ottawa  Presbyterian  Church,  and  I 
have  been  waiting  for  some  one  to  tell  me  how  to 
exchange  members  from  one  Brotherhood  to 
another.  There  were  some  good  ideas  in  what 
Dr.  Bigger  had  to  say  along  this  line  about  cards 
of  introduction.  I  want  to  say  that  there  are 
some  lessons  we  can  learn  from  the  old  fraterni- 
ties. The  men  of  this  country  ought  to  look  after 
the  question  of  the  physical  well-being  of  men. 
It  means  a  great  deal  to  a  man  to  know  that  he 
has  friends  all  over  the  country.    If  this  move- 


248  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ment  means  anything,  it  means  brotherly  kind- 
ness ;  then  let  us  adopt  the  suggestions  given  by 
Dr.  Bigger  and  take  care  of  our  fellow-men 
when  they  are  sick  and  alone  and  away  from 
home. 

Mr.  Stelzle. — I  want  to  say  a  word  in  conclu- 
sion. On  this  whole  proposition  of  the  working- 
man  and  the  church,  and  the  foreigner,  and  all 
the  rest  of  it,  I  want  to  very  heartily  endorse 
what  Dr.  Hill  said.  It  is  a  matter  of  personal 
contact,  with  all  that  that  means. 

A  man  here  asked  me,  ^'Suppose  the  church 
will  not  give  me  anything  for  advertising!'^  I 
heard  some  time  ago  that  the  word  ^^ Session'' 
meant  '* sitting  on  things."  That  may  apply  to 
some  churches,  and  I  believe  it  does ;  but  while 
that  is  true,  I  say  that  as  a  rule,  if  a  man  has 
the  stuff  in  him  and  knows  how  to  make  good,  he 
will  get  the  money  from  the  Session. 

Dr.  Young. — As  to  this  question  of  advertis- 
ing, you  yourselves  are  the  best  advertisement 
for  any  church,  and  it  does  not  cost  much. 
You  can  talk  about  your  prayer  meeting  and 
other  services,  and  it  costs  nothing.  You  know 
P.  T.  Barnum's  motto:  ^* Advertise  yourself  on 
every  occasion. ' '  A  good  soul  once  came  to  Mr. 
Barnum  and  asked:  ^^Mr.  Barnum,  do  you 
think  you  will  go  to  heaven?"  *^Well,  I  don't 
know,"  he  said;  **but  I  do  know  I  have  the  best 
6how  of  any  man  on  earth." 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  249 

Now  for  what  we  have  missed.  We  have 
missed  a  whole  lot.  If  any  man  has  any  good 
thing  to  offer,  let  him  give  it  now. 

A  Delegate. — I  have  been  listening  to  this 
discussion,  and  have  four  things  to  offer.  First, 
get  interested  enough  in  your  church  to  desire  its 
usefulness  increased.  Second,  get  interested 
enough  in  men  to  desire  their  salvation.  Third, 
begin  work  in  some  way.  Fourth,  have  faith 
enough  to  keep  at  it  in  spite  of  all  objections. 

Dr.  Howerton. — I  want  to  speak  a  minute  on 
this  subject  of  reaching  the  common  people,  and 
to  say  that  the  difficulty  is  not  always  in  the 
preacher.  For  ten  years  I  was  pastor  of  one  of 
the  best  churches  in  this  country,  a  very  wealthy 
church,  a  very  aristocratic  church,  and  a  very 
good  church  in  almost  every  respect.  But  that 
church  was  located  right  down  in  the  heart  of  the 
city  and  had  a  big  yard.  We  wanted  one  summer 
to  have  union  meetings,  not  in  the  church,  but  out 
in  the  yard,  and  I  brought  the  matter  before  the 
Session.  This  was  their  objection:  ^'If  we  hold 
these  meetings  in  the  yard  we  will  be  bothered 
with  all  the  loafers  in  town. ' ' 

Dr.  Young. — The  Brotherhood  in  the  country 
church — how  to  make  it  go.  Can  anyone  tell  us 
in  a  half  minute  of  one  that  has  succeeded? 

A   Delegate   from   Illinois. — In   our   small 


250  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

churcli  we  have  succeeded.  We  have  monthly 
meetings  and  we  have  a  flourishing  Brother- 
hood. 

Dr.  Young. — The  Bible  class,  the  normal 
class.  Can  anyone  suggest  how  the  Brother- 
hoods can  arrange  for  normal  classes? 

Mr.  Gray,  of  the  Sixth  Church,  Pittsburg. — 
There  are  forty-two  Brotherhoods  in  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Pittsburg,  nearly  all  of  them  with 
Bible  classes ;  the  rest  ought  to  have  them.  The 
trouble  is  that  we  cannot  get  competent  laymen 
to  teach  Bible  classes,  and  the  ministers  are  too 
busy.  In  one  of  the  Brotherhoods  the  minister 
was  too  busy  to  teach,  but  he  said :  ^^If  you  will 
come  to  my  house  I  will  put  you  in  possession  of 
the  means  whereby  you  can  learn  to  teach  a 
Bible  class.''  So  that  Brotherhood  decided  to 
have  a  Bible  class.  It  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  we  have  Bible  classes,  and  I  believe  the  men 
ought  to  be  instructed. 

Dr.  Young. — I  realize  we  have  not  ac- 
complished nearly  as  much  as  we  would  like  this 
morning,  but  we  have  accomplished  something. 
I  have  just  one  word  in  a  general  way. 

No  one  thing  will  work  well  everywhere. 
What  works  in  my  work,  for  instance,  might  not 
work  in  yours ;  but  we  get  some  ideas  here,  and 
we  can  go  home  and  work  them  out  each  in  his 
own  locality. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  251 

When  I  was  at  the  Sea  of  Galilee  I  asked  a 
man  to  take  a  photograph  of  a  fisherman  just 
where  Jesus  stood  when  he  said,  '' Follow  me, 
and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men."  This 
fisherman  had  waded  out  clear  up  to  his  arm- 
pits and  was  moving  his  landing  net  around  in 
the  water.  He  did  not  stand  on  the  bank  and 
say,  **A11  ye  fishes  in  the  Sea  of  Galilee  who 
want  to  be  caught,  come  up  here  and  I  will  catch 
you."  He  went  out  with  his  net  and  caught 
them. 

I  figure  there  are  about  four  hundred  thou- 
sand men  in  our  Presbyterian  churches,  and  all 
of  tbem  ought  to  be  out  after  men,  bringing  them 
to  Christ.    What  could  they  not  do  1 


XV 

THUESDAY  AFTERNOON 

After  the  singing  of  hymn  No.  17,  ^'How 
Firm  a  Foundation/'  the  session  was  opened 
with  prayer  by  Dr.  Francis  C.  Monfort,  of 
Cincinnati. 

Mr.  Holt. — We  shall  first  be  favored  with  a 
word  from  Dr.  McKibben,  of  Lane  Seminary. 

Dk.  McKibben. — I  want,  in  the  name  of  the 
faculty  of  Lane  Seminary,  to  give  to  you  a  heart- 
felt welcome.  Lane  Seminary  belongs  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  she  lives  for  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  she  loves  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  she  wants  the  church  to  love  and  live  in  her, 
and  we  want  this  great  tide  that  is  bringing 
manliness  into  the  church,  and  men  to  their 
duties,  to  sweep  into  this  seminary ;  for  without 
manly  men  in  the  pulpit,  the  manly  men  will  be 
driven  out  of  the  pews.  We  need  you,  and  I 
think  we  have  a  claim  upon  you. 

From  our  alumni  have  gone  Arthur  J.  Brown, 
the  foreign  missionary,  and  that  prince  of  evan- 
gelists, J.  Wilbur  Chapman;  also  Howard 
Agnew  Johnston  and  Edgar  W.  Work,  who 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  253 

labor  in  metropolitan  fields,  so  that  we  are  send- 
ing missionaries  the  world  around,  doing  the 
work  of  the  Lord. 

I  want  to  say  a  word  about  the  constitution, 
that  we  want  it  changed  so  that  the  colleges  and 
seminaries  under  the  care  of  the  Reformed 
churches  shall  have  a  Brotherhood,  and  be  en- 
titled to  be  represented  in  this  body,  and  carry 
this  fire  into  every  part  of  the  earth.  So  that 
while  you  are  training  manly  men  for  the  pews, 
let  us  be  training  manly  men  for  the  pulpit. 
For  they  must  withstand  the  evil  together — the 
man  in  the  pulpit  and  the  man  in  the  pew. 

Mr.  Holt. — I  am  sure  we  all  appreciate  this 
word  from  Dr.  McKibben,  and  also  the  extreme 
kindness  and  hospitality  of  our  brethren  at  the 
seminary. 

We  come  to  the  discussion  this  afternoon  of 
two  topics  which  are  so  closely  allied  that  they 
may  almost  be  considered  as  one.  It  is  a  great 
disappointment  that  Mr.  Converse,  that  prince 
of  Christian  merchants — ^who  pours  into  Chris- 
tian service  not  only  money,  but  time  and 
personal  effort,  to  a  degree  that  I  have  not  seen 
equaled  among  other  men  of  large  affairs — on 
account  of  business  complications,  especially 
the  responsibility  for  a  payroll  of  sixteen  thou- 
sand men,  is  at  the  last  moment  unable  to  be 
with  us.    - 

In  his  stead,  however,  we  are  most  fortunate 
in  having  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Fred  S.  Good- 


254  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

man,  International  Secretary  for  Bible  Work  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association.  I  turn 
the  conference  over  to  Mr.  Goodman,  with  the 
utmost  confidence  that  much  as  we  regret  the 
absence  of  Mr.  Converse,  we  shall  not  suffer 
by  the  change. 

Mr.  Fred.  S.  Goodman. — No  one  here  more 
deeplj^  regrets  the  absence  of  Mr.  Converse  than 
I.  Were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  committee 
were  in  an  emergency  (and  I  do  not  believe  a 
conscientious  man  has  any  business  to  refuse  to 
help  out  in  an  emergency)  I  would  not  be  on  this 
platform. 

This  convention  will  pass  away  like  the  morn- 
ing dew,  except  in  so  far  as  the  indi^ddual  men 
for  themselves  make  use  of  these  hours  and  act 
upon  the  impressions  received;  therefore,  we 
will  discuss  points  that  will  so  deepen  our  con- 
victions as  to  result  in  changed  habits,  the  forma- 
tion of  new  habits,  and  the  carrying  out  of  new 
resolutions. 

There  is  developing  a  new  type  of  business 
known  as  *  industrial  engineering.''  Experts 
go  into  factories,  and  they  go  from  the  coal  bins, 
to  the  engine,  the  machinery,  and  on  up  to  the 
packing  room  and  the  office,  and  find  where  there 
is  waste  or  loss  of  power.  I  saw  the  other  day 
in  the  New  York  Sim  an  advertisement  which 
contained  these  words:  ** Obscure  and  latent 
earning  power  developed  in  men  and  things.'' 
I  believe  this  a  good  text  for  this  convention. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  255 

Our  church  is  full  of  it — obscure  and  latent 
power,  earning  power  for  Christ  and  the  king- 
dom. 

Let  us  take  up  briefly  three  or  four  questions 
that  connect  this  afternoon  with  the  morning's 
discussion. 

THE   PKACTICAL    MINISTRIES    OF    THE   BROTHERHOOD 

Why  has  the  social  nature  a  claim  on  this 
Brotherhood? 

^  ^  Because  it  reaches  to  the  spiritual  side. ' ' 

*^Man  is  a  social  being.'' 

^^He  that  hath  friends  must  show  himself 
friendly. ' ' 

Mr.  Higgins. — Naturally,  the  things  that 
degrade  the  spiritual  nature  are  most  likely  to 
attack  a  man  on  his  social  side. 

^  ^  God  Almighty  intended  that  we  should  have 
a  social  nature. ' ' 

^*It  is  not  good  for  man  to  be  alone." 

' '  He  is  more  easily  approached  on  that  side. 


>> 


Mr.  Goodman. — You  will  find  a  very  pointed 
connection  between  this  topic  and  Dr.  John- 
ston 's  topic  which  follows  in  the  next  hour.  You 
cannot  take  most  men  by  assault,  they  are  rather 
taken  by  siege,  and  it  usually  takes  planning  to 
win  their  friendship. 

Delegate. — I  should  say  this,  I  want  a  man 


256  THE    PEESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

to  be  my  friend;  that  is,  I  want  to  be  a  friend 
to  him,  whether  he  wants  me  to  or  not.  Chris- 
tian men  should  try  to  make  other  men  their 
friends,  and  then  lead  them  to  the  Friend  of 
friends. 

Mr.  Goodman. — What  functions  have  you 
had  of  a  social  character  that  were  worth 
while? 

Delegate. — We  have  in  our  church  in  Balti- 
more a  Men's  Association  that  is  social  in  its 
nature,  although  all  the  tendencies  are  spiritual. 
We  meet,  have  a  lecture,  have  a  social  hour. 
Then  we  divide  up  and  go  out  and  look 
for  students.  Baltimore  is  full  of  students, 
and  our  men  go  out  and  try  to  bring  these 
students  to  our  church.  We  have  met  with 
good  success. 

Mr.  Goodman. — How  many  have  tried  social 
functions  looking  toward  the  bringing  of  young 
men  into  the  Bible  class? 

Delegate. — In  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Baltimore,  we  have  tried  the  experi- 
ment of  organizing  a  school  for  boys.  The  first 
meeting  this  season  was  held  about  ten  days  ago, 
and  it  was  opened  with  an  attendance  of  276 
boys.  We  give  these  boys  help  in  finding  em- 
ployment, we  throw  around  them  a  moral  and  re- 
ligious influence,   and  in  addition  we  win  the 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  257 

parents  through  the   gratitude  they  have   for 
what  we  have  done  for  their  boys. 

Delegate. — The  greatest  happiness  in  all  the 
world  is  when  we  make  somebody  else  happy. 
My  pastor  came  to  me  recently  and  wanted  to 
know  if  there  was  any  money  in  the  treasury  of 
the  Brotherhood.  He  said  a  member  of  our 
church  was  in  the  hospital,  and  he  wanted  to 
send  him  some  flowers.  I  told  him  to  go  ahead 
and  get  the  flowers.  He  did,  and  when  he  took 
them  to  the  hospital  the  wife  was  there,  and 
their  hearts  were  melted  when  the  minister  gave 
the  man  the  flowers.  There  is  nothing  like  mak- 
ing somebody  else  happy. 

Me.  Goodman. — Of  the  forty-one  men's  or- 
ganizations that  were  disbanded  in  the  Chicago 
Presbytery  in  the  past  five  years,  not  one  had 
had  a  Bible  class.  The  men's  club  that  is  self- 
centered,  devoted  to  social  purposes  only,  is 
doomed ;  but  the  social  organization  that  has  at 
its  heart  the  study  of  the  word  of  God  is  pre- 
paring for  permanency.  What  is  the  chief 
object  of  social  functions  in  the  Brotherhood! 

Mr.  LaMonte. — Fellowship.  The  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago  has  recently 
taken  an  important  step  by  establishing  a  ^'fel- 
lowship house"  near  the  church,  where  young 
men  can  meet  in  a  partly  social  way.  Eleven 
or   twelve    Christian   consecrated    young    men 


258  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

lodge  in  that  fellowship  house  and  create  an  at- 
mosphere, and  when  the  young  men  from  the 
boarding  houses  of  the  neighborhood  are  in- 
duced to  come  there  for  social  times,  they  are 
also  invited  to  join  the  Bible  classes,  of  which 
they  have  four. 

Mr.  Goodman. — Can  you  work  up  a  social  at- 
mosphere by  ordinary  methods  of  advertising — 
letters,  music,  etc!  Where  does  it  come  from? 
Where  is  its  home? 

'  *  In  the  sympathetic  heart. ' ' 

Mr.  Goodman. — What  is  the  connection  be- 
tween the  social  and  the  spiritual? 

Delegate. — ^We  use  the  social  in  our  church 
primarily  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  whole 
Brotherhood  into  contact  with  the  whole  mem- 
bership of  the  church. 

Delegate. — Some  of  the  large  churches  in 
Pittsburg  appoint  ten  Brotherhood  men  who 
act  as  a  receiving  committee  at  the  door.  Not 
exactly  as  ushers,  but  to  receive  men  at  the  door. 

Delegate. — The  Brotherhood  which  I  repre- 
sent meets  socially  three  times  a  month  at  the 
homes  of  the  members.  This  has  led  to  bring- 
ing into  the  church  during  the  past  year  a  score 
of  men  who  had  never  been  in  church  work  be- 
fore.   It  has  led  to  the  turning  over  of  the  Sun- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  259 

day  night  service  to  the  Brotherhood ;  it  has  put 
into  the  work  at  that  service  men  who  have 
never  done  any  work  before,  and  in  this  way  we 
get  them  into  permanent  work  in  the  church. 

Me.  Goodman. — Let  us  pass  on  to  the  next 
topic — visitation.  The  proposition  is  that  some- 
thing ought  to  be  done  for  the  residents,  to  in- 
terest them  in  the  church.  Have  any  of  you  lay- 
men tried  this! 

Several  answered,  ^'Yes.'^ 

*^ Did  it  work!" 

^ '  It  worked  well. ' ' 

' '  Did  you  get  your  man ! ' ' 

*^Yes." 

*^We  tried  the  plan  of  sending  one  man  after 
one  man,  and  it  worked." 

^ '  Our  men  went  two  and  two,  and  they  notified 
the  families  of  the  church  to  remain  at  home  that 
evening.  Forty-four  men  went  out,  each  couple 
making  about  four  calls." 

Mr.  Goodman. — I  have  known  churches  in  the 
midst  of  industrial  districts  where  the  number 
of  men  at  church  would  be  less  than  a  dozen, 
where  by  holding  a  men's  meeting  they  had  a 
church  full  of  non-church-going  men,  because 
somebody  came  to  their  door  and  asked  them, 
and  they  knew  that  man  was  not  being  paid  for 
his  work.  One  church  arranges  for  a  special 
men's  meeting  Sunday  night,  and  the  laymen 
canvass  the  neighborhood  two  days  in  advance. 


260  THE    PRESBYTEEIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

Delegate. — I  find  that  busy  men  and  the  best 
business  men  are  willing  to  spend  a  whole  day 
or  evening,  if  need  be,  to  call  on  other  men,  but 
do  you  think  the  polished,  refined  man  appre- 
ciates this  visit  ?    I  do  not  think  so. 

Mr.  Goodman. — The  average  society  man  does 
not  care  to  be  reminded  that  he  has  been  absent 
from  church;  but  if  the  right  man  approaches 
him  in  the  right  way,  I  think  he  will  receive  the 
visit  in  the  right  spirit. 

Delegate. — A  fine  time  to  go  is  just  before 
prayer  meeting,  because  then  you  can  say :  *  ^  If 
you  cannot  come  to-night,  we  can  at  least  pray 
with  you." 

Mr.  Goodman. — What  can  the  Brotherhood  do 
to  promote  rescue  work?  There  are  various 
kinds  of  missions,  especially  in  the  great  cities. 
I  know  a  town  of  fifteen  thousand  that  has  two 
or  three  missions.  Work  has  been  established  by 
a  Brotherhood  like  our  own.  What  can  we  do 
to  improve  and  extend  this  type  of  work  for 
those  who  have  fallen  by  the  way,  or  are  out  of 
easy  reach?  Has  anyone  here  tried  such 
work? 

Delegate. — We  have  what  we  call  **  neigh- 
borhood work"  in  the  factory  district.  This  is 
a  department  of  our  church,  and  it  has  a  larger 
Sunday-school  attendance  than  the  church  itself. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  261 

A  good  many  are  foreigners.  Some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Brotherhood  work  there  all  the  time, 
others  are  called  upon  occasionally,  but  it 
has  been  taken  up  by  the  Brotherhood  as  a  part 
of  its  work,  and  they  are  kept  informed  about 
it,  brought  into  contact  with  it,  and  support  it 
largely. 

Delegate. — The  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Peoria  has  become  interested  in  the  Juvenile 
Court  work,  and  has  put  a  plant  in  the  basement 
of  our  church  for  industrial  work.  We  arranged 
for  tools,  and  hired  a  man  to  instruct  these  boys 
for  six  months.  Each  man  in  the  club  becomes 
responsible  for  one  of  these  boys,  sees  that  he 
goes  to  Sunday  school  and  church,  and  provides 
him  with  employment. 

Mr.  Goodman. — Last  summer,  while  in  Lon- 
don, I  went  on  Tottenham  Court  Eoad  to  Whit- 
field's Chapel.  The  work  was  wonderful  in  its 
scope,  and  as  I  came  back  to  the  office  and 
thought  of  the  power  of  the  man  who  has  res- 
cued the  work  from  almost  utter  failure,  I  tried 
to  discover  the  secret  of  it.  I  found  a  motto  on 
the  wall  which  gave  the  answer :  ^  ^  No  quest,  no 
conquest."  The  American  spirit  is  just  that. 
To  find  the  task  that  is  difficult,  the  field  that 
is  hard,  and  tackle  it.  The  biggest  failure  is  to 
make  no  attempt.  You  had  better  fail  than  to 
keep  still  for  fear  you  might  make  a  failure. 
Here  are  great  problems  confronting  us,  the 


262  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

chief  of  which  is  to  reach  the  men  who  do  not  go 
to  church.  Let  us  remember  this  motto :  ^ '  No 
quest,  no  conquest.  *' 

(After  the  singing  of  **The  Son  of  God  Goes 
Forth  to  War/'  Mr.  Goodman  continued.) 

PERSONAL   WORK 

Mr.  Goodman. — I  think  we  will  agree  that 
there  are  two  forms  of  evangelism.  Paul  says : 
^  ^  I  have  taught  you  publicly,  and  from  house  to 
house."  We  have  two  methods  of  soul-win- 
ning— the  discourse  method,  talking  to  a  crowd ; 
and  the  conversational  method,  where  one  talks 
with  another  or  with  small  groups.  In  the  lat- 
ter method  is  included  that  great  means  of  evan- 
gelism, the  Bible  class.  You  can  have  a  Bible 
class  in  the  home,  the  shop,  the  store,  the  fac- 
tory, on  board  a  battleship,  at  the  bottom  of  a 
coal  mine,  in  the  cab,  or  the  roundhouse. 
Wlierever  men  congregate  they  can  talk  these 
things  over  with  each  other,  led  by  some  compe- 
tent Christian  man. 

Personal  work  is  one  form  of  what  I  have 
called  the  conversational  method.  We  have  with 
us  one  of  the  great  advocates  of  this  type  of 
work.  I  am  glad  Dr.  Howard  Agnew  Johnston 
is  here,  because  he  stands  out  as  the  man  who 
has  put  a  lot  of  machinery  at  work.  He  will 
speak  on  the  ** Personal  Work"  side.  Then  we 
will  hear  from  Dr.  Hallenbeck  and  discuss  the 
two  subjects  together. 


XVI 
PERSONAL  WORK 

BY  EEV.    HOWAED   AGNEW    JOHNSTON,   D.D. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Men  of  the  Convention:  Do 
yon  know  that  the  average  addition  to  the  Chris- 
tian Church  in  America  on  confession  of  faith 
is  only  seven  per  cent  per  annum!  That  is  to 
say,  for  every  one  hundred  ministers  of  the 
church,  officers,  Sunday-school  teachers  and  reg- 
ular members,  there  are  just  seven  people  won 
to  Jesus  Christ  in  a  year.  And  when  you  have 
taken  out  the  children  that  come  up  in  the  Sun- 
day school  and  in  Christian  homes,  you  have 
taken  off  three  every  year,  and  sometimes  four ; 
so  that  the  best  showing  you  can  make  is  tliis: 
For  every  one  hundred  ministers,  Sunday-school 
teachers,  officers,  and  regular  members  in  our 
churches,  there  are  just  four  people  won  to 
Jesus  Christ  out  of  the  world  in  a  year,  in 
America.  Something  wrong.  I  want  to  give  you 
just  now,  in  this  little  time,  two  pictures  of  life. 

One  is  the  story  of  a  Presbyterian  elder  from 
whose  lips  I  heard  the  story  in  this  city  twenty 
years  ago.  His  name  was  William  Reynolds. 
He  lived  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  was  an  elder  in 

263 


264  THE   PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  Presbyterian  Church.  One  day  he  was  met 
by  a  friend  who  said,  ^'How  long  have  we 
known  each  other!"  '^ About  fifteen  years." 
^'You  claim  to  be  a  Christian,  I  believe!" 
^^Yes."  ^'Do  you  really  believe  that  if  I  am  to 
be  saved  I  must  accept  Jesus  Christ  as  my  Sav- 
iour?" '^Yes."  ''Do  you  care  whether  I  am 
saved  ? "  ' '  Why,  certainly ! "  ' '  I  beg  your  par- 
don, I  could  not  believe  that.  We  have  known 
each  other  fifteen  years;  we  have  often  talked 
to  each  other;  we  have  sat  at  the  same  table. 
You  are  a  leading  business  man  in  this  town. 
If  you  had  ever  told  me  of  the  importance  of  my 
accepting  Christ,  I  would  have  listened  with  re- 
spect to  you.  If  you  had  cared  the  least  little 
bit,  you  surely  would  have  said  something  in  fif- 
teen years  about  Jesus  Christ. ' '  And  this  elder 
confessed  to  that  man  that  he  had  evaded  many 
an  opportunity  that  God  had  put  in  his  way  to 
talk  to  men  for  Jesus  Christ.  Have  you  ever 
done  it?  I  have,  I  confess.  We  all  have.  I 
would  hardly  believe  a  man  who  said  he  had 
never  shrunk  from  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  a 
soul  for  Jesus  Christ.  Human  nature  is  such  a 
constant  quality  there. 

Then  Mr.  Reynolds  said,  ''What  has  hap- 
pened to  stir  you!"  And  this  man  told  him 
a  story  of  how,  when  he  got  on  the  train  the  day 
before  in  Chicago,  a  man  came  in  right  after  him 
and  sat  down  beside  him  and  began  a  conversa- 
tion that  led  up  to  the  question  as  to  whether  he 
was  a  Christian.    This  touched  the  heart  of  the 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  265 

man,  and  he  asked  this  stranger  his  name.  He 
said,  ^'My  name  is  D.  L.  Moody.''  This  man 
told  Mr.  Eeynolds :  '  ^  Here  was  a  man,  the  one 
man  in  all  the  world  who  cared  about  my  soul. 
He  never  saw  me  before,  he  never  expected  to 
see  me  again;  but  he  did  not  wait  for  a  better 
opportunity,  he  made  the  best  of  this  chance." 
Mr.  Eeynolds  was  very  much  touched  by 
this,  and  he  did  not  let  his  friend  go  until 
right  there  he  induced  him  to  give  his  heart  to 
Jesus  Christ. 

All  this  was  forty  years  ago.  Mr.  Reynolds 
said  he  thought  he  had  better  go  to  Chicago  and 
see  this  man  Moody,  and  he  did.  He  said: 
^' There  is  something  wrong  about  my  Chris- 
tianity. I  have  been  an  elder  in  the  church, 
and  yet  here  is  one  of  my  neighbors  who 
says  I  have  known  him  for  fifteen  years,  but 
have  never  said  a  word  to  him  about  Jesus 
Christ.'' 

Are  there  men  whom  you  see  day  after  day  to 
whom  you  have  never  spoken  about  Jesus 
Christ!  If  so,  you  are  not  true  witnesses  for 
him.  One  of  the  greatest  things  our  Saviour  said 
was  this:  **When  the  Comforter  is  come  .  .  . 
he  shall  testify  of  me:  and  ye  also  shall  bear 
witness. ' '  And  in  The  Acts,  when  he  was  speak- 
ing of  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  and  of  the  fact 
that  they  should  have  power  when  the  Spirit 
came  upon  them,  he  said :  ^  *  Ye  shall  be  witnesses 
unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judaea,  and 
in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the 


266  THE   PRESBYTERIAN"   BROTHERHOOD 

earth/'  Thus  the  Lord  emphasized  this  fact, 
that  his  people  must  be  witnesses  for  Jesus 
Christ.  The  thing  he  lays  most  stress  on  is  that 
we  must  witness  for  him. 

You  must  bear  me  out  that  the  church  of 
Christ  to-day  is  not  a  witnessing  church,  as  it 
ought  to  be,  and  the  field  is  large  for  work.  We 
have  been  cowards  in  the  face  of  the  privilege  of 
speaking  to  men  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  know 
it  too  well.  Now  we  must  reconstruct  our 
methods.  You  may  talk  over  a  dozen  plans  for 
all  kinds  of  things  to  do  for  men,  but  if  you  do 
not  get  down  to  where  you  can  go  to  your  per- 
sonal friend  and  speak  to  him  and  win  him 
for  Christ  you  will  miss  the  personal  element 
which  must  be  in  all  really  effective  Chris- 
tian work.  That  is  the  spirit  that  goes  into 
every  sort  of  successful  work.  You  will  never 
solve  the  problem  of  the  masses  until  you 
solve  the  individual  problem.  The  only  way 
to  have  a  community  of  good  men  is  to  make 
men  good. 

Men,  if  in  this  moment  you  can  think  of  one 
man  whose  life  you  have  been  touching  for 
weeks,  or  months,  or  years,  to  whom  you  have 
never  spoken  of  Jesus  Christ,  I  trust  that  before 
you  go  away  to-day  you  will  make  a  promise  to 
your  God  that  you  will  not  let  many  days  go  by 
until  you  go  and  try  to  do  that  thing.  There  is 
no  possible  justification  for  a  man  being  unwil- 
ling to  try,  though  we  know  there  are  hundreds 
of  men,  officers  in  the  church,  members,  whose 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  267 

names  have  been  on  the  church  roll  for  years, 
and  who  have  gone  weeks  and  months  and  years 
without  ever  saying  a  word  to  a  soul  to  try  to 
win  that  soul  to  Christ. 

I  want  to  give  you  another  picture  of  life.  In 
1904  a  man  came  to  me  and  said:  *'I  want  to 
tell  you  my  story.  I  am  David  Williams,  of 
Youngstown,  Ohio.  A  year  ago  my  pastor  gave 
me  a  little  book  written  by  a  man  named  Trum- 
bull, entitled  'Individual  Work  For  Individ- 
uals.' I  read  the  book  and  thought  it  very  in- 
teresting. I  thought  it  was  all  right  for  Dr. 
Trumbull  to  be  winning  souls  unto  Christ,  for  he 
was  a  preacher  and  was  paid  to  talk  to  people, 
but  it  never  entered  my  mind  that  I  ought  to 
do  it.  The  pastor  announced  that  he  would 
organize  a  class  for  studying  how  to  do  personal 
work,  and  that  everybody  that  was  interested 
in  knowing  more  about  doing  personal  work 
successfully  was  invited  to  come,  so  I  thought 
I  ought  to  go,  and  we  had  not  gone  very  far 
along  until  I  began  to  see  that  I  ought 
to  win  men  for  Christ ;  I  began  to  feel  a  respon- 
sibility I  had  never  felt  before.  I  talked  to  my 
wife  about  it,  especially  about  one  man.  I  went 
to  talk  to  him,  and  he  rebuffed  me.  I  went  again 
and  said:  'The  last  time  you  did  not  give  me 
any  good  reason  for  not  being  a  Christian.  I 
want  you  to  give  a  good  reason. '  He  said,  '  I  do 
not  think  there  is  any ;  I  have  decided  to  be  one. ' 
He  asked  about  his  three  boys ;  he  called  them  in, 
and  the  three  gave  their  hearts  to  Jesus  Christ. ' ' 


268  THE   PEESBYTEKIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

He  told  me  how  they  organized  a  prayer 
circle,  and  he  said :  '  ^  I  want  to  tell  you  that  we 
have  been  to  see  eighteen  people,  and  never 
failed  once.  But,''  he  said,  ^*what  I  wanted 
to  ask  you  was  this:  I  have  had  an  idea 
that  I  might  possibly  be  a  leader  in  personal 
work  myself.  Do  you  think  it  would  be  pre- 
sumption in  me  to  go  and  ask  my  pastor  to 
let  me  go  to  some  unlikely  people  and  form 
a  class  to  do  personal  workT'  I  said  to  him, 
'^Go  and  ask  your  pastor,  and  I  think  he  will 
be  glad." 

I  heard  nothing  from  him  for  a  good  while, 
and  then  I  had  a  letter  from  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
secretary  in  Youngstown,  saying:  *^We  have 
a  man  here,  a  Welshman,  who  came  and  began 
work  among  a  class  of  people  that  we  thought 
never  could  do  personal  work,  and  through  the 
class  twelve  persons  have  been  brought  into  the 
church.  We  asked  him  to  take  the  leadership 
of  the  personal  work  in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  we 
have  never  had  such  a  year  as  the  one  just  fin- 
ished." 

This  man  was  a  night  watchman.  He  was 
born  in  Wales,  his  father  dying  when  he  was 
a  boy,  and  he  had  to  earn  his  own  living.  But 
because  he  was  willing  to  try,  and  studied  the 
subject  and  asked  for  God's  help,  and  then  had 
confidence  to  believe  that  God  would  help  him, 
he  started  into  this  work  and  has  become  an  ex- 
pert. And  if  God  can  use  an  humble  night 
watchman  and  change  his  life  in  two  years,  what 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  269 

can  he  not  do  with  every  man  in  this  audience 
to-day? 

I  have  had  people  come  to  me  and  say,  *^I 
tried  it  once,  but  I  made  a  failure  of  it.''  Im- 
agine a  man,  without  any  preparation,  tr^dng  to 
do  some  great  thing !  If  you  think  this  is  a  small 
thing,  you  have  misunderstood  it  entirely.  It 
is  a  great  thing  to  be  used  of  God  to  help  an 
unsaved  soul  into  the  kingdom,  and  you  never 
can  be  successful  until  you  realize  the  need  of 
preparation.  Then  you  must  practice  it.  The 
lawyer  may  have  studied  law  all  his  life,  but 
if  he  has  never  practiced  he  will  never  become 
a  lawyer.  Doctors  may  have  studied  for  years, 
but  if  they  never  practice,  never  go  into  a  sick 
room,  they  will  never  become  doctors.  Hun- 
dreds of  men  have  the  theory,  but  the  theory  is 
laid  on  the  shelf. 

We  have  come  to  the  time  when,  if  this  Broth- 
erhood is  going  to  work  out  anything  for  the  up- 
building of  the  kingdom,  men  must  consecrate 
themselves  to  the  great  divine  task  of  being 
*  laborers  together  with  God"  in  winning  indi- 
viduals to  Jesus  Christ.  And  the  thing  that 
ought  to  be  done  in  every  church  is  for  the  men 
of  this  Brotherhood  to  go  home  and  see  that 
there  is  organized  in  these  churches  classes  for 
people  who  have  already  come  to  Jesus  Christ, 
that  they  may  come  together  and  study  methods 
of  personal  work,  and  then  begin  to  practice  it. 
Then  comes  this  thing  that  Mr.  Goodman  has 
spoken  of — following  up  the  message  with  in- 


270  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

dividual  work.  The  Lord  Jesus  said  that  when 
you  get  everything  ready  and  invite  people, 
they  would  not  come.  He  knew  the  human 
heart.  He  said  you  must  go  out,  with  compel- 
ling insistence,  and  give  the  message  to  men 
individually. 

May  I  close  hy  presenting  a  resolution?  One 
of  the  things  which  impressed  me  was  that  while 
the  report  of  the  Executive  Committee  was  most 
excellent  and  comprehensive,  it  did  not  cover  one 
thing,  and  that  was  personal  work  for  Jesus 
Christ.  I  think  it  ought  to  be  there,  and  I  would 
offer  this  resolution,  to  be  referred  to  the  com- 
mittee and  to  be  made  a  part  of  the  report  if 
they  shall  see  fit. 

*  ^  That  this  convention  urges  upon  the  men  of 
our  church  the  organization  of  classes  of  pro- 
fessing Christians,  for  the  study  and  practice  of 
personal  work  for  individual  souls.  Not  only  to 
win  non-Christians  to  Jesus  Christ,  but  also  to 
strive  for  more  thorough  and  loyal  service  on 
the  part  of  church  members. ' '    Carried. 

Mr.  Goodman. — Just  a  word  to  help  us  ap- 
preciate what  could  be  done  by  a  campaign  of 
personal  evangelism.  There  are  four  hundred 
thousand  men  in  our  Presbyterian  Church  in 
America.  Suppose  only  twenty-five  per  cent  of 
these  men  would  undertake  to  form  the  habit  of 
personal  evangelism,  each  one  having  one  con- 
versation about  Christ  a  week;  and  suppose 
nine  tenths  of  the  efforts  should  fail,  we  would 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  271 

nevertheless  v^in  five  hundred  and  twenty  thou- 
sand men  in  the  next  twelve  months.  Only  one 
fourth  of  the  men  trying  it ;  nine  tenths  of  the  ef- 
forts failing,  five  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
souls  led  to  Christ! 

We  must  now  go  to  the  other  side  of  this  ques- 
tion, and  Dr.  Hallenbeck  will  speak  to  us  on 
'^Evangelistic  Work  by  and  for  Men.'' 


XVII 
EVANGELISTIC  WORK 

BY  KEV.  E.  F.  HALLENBECK. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Brotherhood :  I  have  been 
delighted  with  the  spirit  of  this  convention. 
From  the  first  time  I  came  into  this  room  and 
read  that  magnificent  slogan,  *'The  Men  of 
America  for  the  Man  of  Galilee,^'  I  have  felt 
the  grip  of  it.  It  has  been  noticeable  in  every 
address  to  which  I  have  listened,  and  I  shall 
miss  my  prophecy  if  the  men  of  this  gathering 
do  not  go  back  to  their  homes  and  spend  them- 
selves as  never  before  in  the  work  of  winning 
their  fellows  for  Christ. 

It  looks  very  much  to  me  as  though  evangel- 
ism was  to  be  the  keynote  of  the  work  of  this 
Brotherhood.  And  why  should  it  not  be  so? 
Evangelism  is  the  business  of  the  church  of 
Christ.  There  are  other  duties  which  she  must 
not  neglect ;  there  are  other  tasks  which  have  a 
claim  upon  her  time  and  strength ;  but  evangel- 
ism is  the  business  of  the  church.  These  other 
things  are  secondary  and  supplemental.  Jesus 
never  amended  the  program  which  he  outlined 
for  those  early  disciples  when  he  said :  ^  ^  Follow 
me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men. ' '    The 

272 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  273 

great  commission  which  he  laid  upon  them  has 
never  been  withdrawn.  Then  and  now  and  unto 
the  end  of  the  age  the  church  must  ' '  go  .  .  .  into 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature. ' ' 

It  is  this  evangelistic  spirit  for  which  I  have 
been  praying  during  the  hours  of  the  conven- 
tion. Evangelism  is  a  builder  of  manhood — a 
master  builder.  It  brings  a  whole  gang  of 
skilled  workmen  to  its  important  task.  When 
a  man  becomes  fired  with  passion  for  his  fel- 
lows, first  of  all  there  will  be  a  cutting  away  of 
false  timber  in  his  life ;  he  will  have  no  time  to 
brood  over  fancied  slights;  the  doubts  he  has 
harbored  will  take  wings  and  fly  away ;  sin  will 
show  itself  in  a  new  light,  he  will  loathe  it,  he 
will  put  his  heel  upon  it,  lest  it  hamper  this 
work  of  salvation;  all  this  because  of  this  new 
element  in  his  life.  He  will  have  a  deeper 
sense  of  his  need  for  Christ,  and  he  will  creep 
closer  to  that  mighty  heart  because  he  cannot 
hope  to  get  a  soul  to  the  cross  alone.  And 
by  means  of  the  sawing  and  cutting  and  ham- 
mering of  these  experts  of  manhood,  he 
will  be  transformed  from  a  narrow,  useless 
church  member  into  a  happy,  helpful  servant 
of  Christ. 

Let  me  tell  you  of  a  man  in  Albany  with 
whom  I  came  in  contact.  He  was  a  member  of 
my  church,  a  pretty  good  sort  of  man  as  far  as 
outward  appearances  go.  He  was  a  successful, 
upright  business  man,  but  he  was  hard  and  cold. 


274  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

He  had  given  God  but  half  a  chance  with  his 
life. 

I  shall  never  forget  one  morning  when  this 
man  came  to  my  study  and  confessed  that  he  had 
been  neglecting  the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  men. 
He  said  to  me:  **God  has  made  it  plain  that 
these  men  have  been  brought  into  my  employ 
not  simply  that  they  may  help  me  make  money, 
but  that  I  may  help  them  win  the  unspeakable 
riches. '  ^  We  talked  about  it  for  a  little,  then  we 
knelt  in  prayer,  and  the  walls  of  my  study  never 
heard  a  more  touching  petition  than  as  this  man 
of  business,  with  tears  flowing  down  his  cheeks, 
voiced  his  new  consecration  to  the  Master.  He 
was  not  less  successful  as  a  business  man,  but  his 
whole  life  was  changed.  Before,  he  was  after 
money;  but  now,  above  all  ambition  for  gain, 
was  the  desire  to  win  trophies  for  his  Lord.  He 
began  to  adjust  things  so  that  he  could  get  close 
to  his  men.  He  talked  with  them  personally,  he 
went  to  their  homes,  and  before  a  year  had 
passed  I  received  a  dozen  of  them  into  the 
church.  And  that  was  not  all.  This  man's  life 
began  to  mellow,  his  face  took  on  a  new  glow, 
his  purse  opened  wider  and  wider,  his  hand  was 
outstretched  to  every  worthy  cause,  and  a  few 
years  ago  he  went  home  in  a  blaze  of  glory. 
This  evangelistic  spirit  had  made  him  over  into 
a  nobleman  of  God. 

Some  of  us  are  drying  up  in  our  lives;  we 
swallow  up  all  the  grace  that  comes  our  way  and 
never  think  of  passing  it  on. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  275 

One  reason  for  the  weak,  pulpy  thing  that 
sometimes  passes  for  manhood  in  our  churches, 
is  the  dying  down  of  this  zeal  for  souls.  For 
3"our  own  sake,  I  plead  with  you  to-day,  go  back 
to  the  place  where  God  has  asked  you  to  live, 
and  make  this  the  supreme  thing  in  your  life. 
This  evangelistic  spirit  makes  for  a  vigorous 
church.  You  cannot  have  a  strong  church  with- 
out zeal  for  those  who  are  lost.  Of  course  this 
is  true  objectively,  and  here  is  one  of  the  fasci- 
nations of  Christian  work.  You  never  know 
what  you  are  doing  when  you  win  a  soul  for 
Christ.  Andrew  saved  a  multiplication  table 
when  he  brought  his  brother  to  Jesus. 

And  it  is  true,  my  brethren,  that  men  are  wait- 
ing for  us  to  come.  I  went  into  the  office  of  a 
business  man  in  the  city  of  Binghamton  some 
time  ago  and  asked  him  to  accept  Christ  as  his 
Saviour.  I  was  amazed  at  the  promptness  of 
his  response.  And  when  he  had  given  me  a  grip 
of  his  hand  and  said,  "I  do  accept  him!"  I 
looked  up  into  his  face  and  asked,  ' '  Why  did  you 
not  do  it  before!"  I  shall  never  forget  his 
answer:  **I  have  been  waiting  ten  years  for 
somebody  to  come. ' ' 

I  believe  there  are  men  all  around  us  to-day — 
they  sit  in  our  pews,  they  come  within  our  reach 
in  business  and  the  social  life,  they  live  under 
the  shadow  of  our  homes — who  are  waiting  for 
us  to  come ;  they  wonder  why  we  do  not  speak  to 
them  about  our  Lord. 

This  is  true  subjectively.    The  architecture  of 


276  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  church  may  be  chaste,  the  service  may  be 
ornate,  the  music  may  be  splendid,  the  member- 
ship may  be  select,  yet  the  church  will  be  spir- 
itually weak  if  in  her  breast  is  not  the  throbbing 
of  a  great  desire  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 

This  evangelistic  spirit  will  help  us  to  pay  our 
debt  to  a  lost  world.  Will  any  one  of  us  doubt 
the  existence  of  such  an  obligation?  Hear  the 
Apostle  Paul  as  he  says:  *^I  am  debtor  both 
to  the  Greeks,  and  to  the  Barbarians;  both  to 
the  wise  and  to  the  unwise. ' '  Go  back  to  Ezekiel 
and  hear  God  as  he  speaks  to  the  prophet  and  to 
us:  ^^I  have  made  thee  a  watchman  unto  the 
house  of  Israel :  therefore  hear  the  word  at  my 
mouth,  and  give  them  warning  from  me.  When 
I  say  unto  the  wicked.  Thou  shalt  surely  die ;  and 
thou  givest  him  not  warning,  nor  speakest  to 
warn  the  wicked  from  his  wicked  way,  to  save 
his  life;  the  same  wicked  man  shall  die  in  his 
iniquity;  but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  thine 
hand. ' ' 

We  are  standing  upon  the  walls  of  Zion.  We 
know  the  peril  of  our  fellow-men,  and  the 
remedy  is  in  our  hands ;  we  must  give  the  warn- 
in.  Let  us  not  hide  behind  some  vague  theory  of 
divine  favoritism ;  these  lost  ones  are  the  objects 
of  his  love  as  well  as  we,  and  God  pity  us  if  we 
fail  to  speak  to  them  the  message  of  Christ. 

Over  in  India  during  the  famine  a  missionary 
family  was  sitting  down  to  their  evening  meal. 
Strange  sounds  were  heard  outside,  they  investi- 
gated and  found  a  big  dog  and  a  boy  fighting  for 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  277 

possession  of  a  bone.  It  had  been  thrown  out  as 
refuse,  but  so  desperate  was  the  hunger  of  the 
boy  that  he  would  risk  his  life  to  get  that  bone. 
As  they  went  back  to  the  table,  the  nicely  pre- 
pared supper  had  lost  its  savor.  How  could 
they  sit  down  and  comfortably  enjoy  their  food 
while  at  their  door  people  were  starving  for 
lack  of  it! 

Shall  the  church  of  Christ  sit  in  selfish  com- 
fort and  enjoy  the  priceless  privileges  of  re- 
demption, with  no  concern  for  the  multitude  who 
are  dying  at  her  doors  for  lack  of  the  Bread  of 
life !  We  hear  much  in  these  days  of  the  aliena- 
tion of  the  masses,  and  various  explanations  are 
given.  The  spread  of  materialism,  the  weakened 
sense  of  authority,  by  reason  of  the  assaults 
upon  the  foundations  of  our  faith,  these  are 
doubtless  factors  in  the  situation,  but,  gentlemen, 
there  is  another  thing  that  we  must  take  into  ac- 
count. The  world  knows  the  purpose  of  the 
cliurch;  it  knows  she  is  not  here  to  spin  theo- 
logical cobwebs,  nor  to  build  elaborate  club- 
houses, nor  to  engage  in  the  traffic  of  time.  And 
when  the  world  sees  the  church  indifferent  to 
the  condition  of  the  lost,  unresponsive  to  the  cry 
of  the  needy,  it  begins  to  sneer  at  her  profession 
and  turn  away  from  her  doors.  Whatever  else 
we  need  to  bridge  the  gulf  which  exists  between 
the  church  and  the  world,  we  need  that  Christly 
compassion  that  will  spend  itself  in  sacrificing, 
unselfish  toil  for  those  for  whom  the  Saviour 
died. 


278  THE    PEESBYTEKIAN    BEOTHERHOOD 

But  there  is  another  thing  we  must  remember. 
Evangelism  is  loyalty  to  Jesus  Christ.  This  is 
the  work  he  has  given  to  the  church.  Does  she 
wear  his  name  ?  Then  she  is  bound  to  manifest 
his  spirit.  Does  she  call  him  Master  and  Lord? 
Then  she  will  do  the  things  he  says ;  and  in  the 
message  of  Jesus  to  men  there  are  two  compre- 
hensive statements  that  were  emphasized  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

They  are  enforced  by  exhortation,  by  example, 
by  precept,  and  by  parable.  The  first:  ^^The 
Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost.*'  The  second:  ^*As  my  Father 
hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you. ' '  And  imless 
the  church  is  doing  this,  she  is  traitor  to  the 
Lord,  whose  name  she  bears. 

I  have  said  nothing  about  methods.  You  will 
have  an  opportunity  to  discuss  these  later  on.  I 
believe  more  than  method  we  need  motive;  far 
more  than  plan  we  need  power.  And  I  am  ask- 
ing God  to-day  that  he  may  kindle  upon  the  al- 
tars of  our  hearts,  every  man  of  us,  a  new  pas- 
sion for  the  salvation  of  the  lost. 

John  Kobertson  has  told  a  story  of  one  morn- 
ing in  a  village  in  his  native  land.  By  some 
strange  coincidence  every  fire  had  gone  out.  It 
was  before  the  days  of  matches,  and  the  only 
way  to  rekindle  the  flame  was  to  find  some  living 
coal.  These  Scotchmen  went  from  house  to 
house  hoping  to  find  some  hearth  on  which 
was  a  living  coal,  but  they  found  only  ashes; 
every  fire  was  out,  until  at  last  they  came  to  a 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  279 

house  away  up  on  a  hill.  There  the  fire  was 
burning,  and  one  after  another  they  climbed  the 
hill  and  lighted  their  peat  at  the  fire,  and  then 
going  down  the  hill  they  sheltered  the  lighted 
peat,  lest  the  wind  should  extinguish  it,  and  soon 
the  fires  were  burning  again. 

My  brethren,  is  the  fire  burning  down  in  your 
hearts  of  to-day!  Have  the  flames  spent  them- 
selves upon  the  altar  of  your  church?  God  has 
plenty  of  fire  on  the  hill,  and  the  thing  for  us  to 
do  to-day  is  to  climb  that  hill  and  lay  hold  upon 
the  living  coals  until  within  our  breasts  shall 
be  kindled  this  passion  that  will  make  us  wil- 
ling to  spend  and  be  spent  for  the  glory  of  our 
Lord  and  the  salvation  of  the  lost. 

May  God  hasten  the  day  when  the  men  of  the 
church,  with  their  brain  and  brawn,  their  vision 
and  their  grasp  of  things,  their  business  sagacity 
and  their  indomitable  pluck  and  push,  shall  con- 
secrate their  all  to  this  work  for  which  Christ 
died. 

Mr.  Goodman. — There  are  three  or  four  ques- 
tions that  ought  to  be  taken  up.  First  of  all; 
how  can  the  Brotherhood  help  to  make  the  regu- 
lar services  of  the  church  of  greater  evangelis- 
tic power  1 

Delegate. — *^In  those  days  came  John  the 
Baptist  .  .  .  saying,  Eepent  ye:  for  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  at  hand."  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand.    How  is  it  to  be  reached!    By 


280  THE    PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

putting  it  into  somebody's  hand  who  has  not 
received  it.  And  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  in 
your  own  hand.  We  do  not  have  to  wait  until 
we  pass  beyond  the  grave  to  get  it.  That  is 
what  we  want  in  our  Brotherhood;  we  want  to 
teach  others  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand;  it  is  theirs  for  the  asking.  We  purpose 
next  Sunday  night  to  have  a  meeting  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Brotherhood,  an  *^echo"  meet- 
ing of  this  convention,  and  turn  it  into  an  evan- 
gelistic meeting  at  the  close. 

Delegate. — In  our  church  in  Ottawa,  Illinois, 
the  Sunday  night  service  and  practically  all  the 
services  were  ^'out  of  commission,"  so  to  speak. 
Two  years  ago  we  organized  a  Brotherhood,  and 
these  men  went  to  work  and  they  have  filled  that 
church.  They  have  an  active  president  and  a 
dozen  men  around  him,  and  thev  get  after  the 
men. 

Delegate. — The  best  thing  individual  mem- 
bers can  undertake  is  personal  work,  bringing 
men  to  Jesus  Christ.  Get  them  to  come  to  the 
evening  service,  and  when  the  pastor  gives  the 
invitation  to  come  forward,  try  to  get  them  to 
go.  If  the  members  would  do  that  work,  the  re- 
sults would  be  wonderful. 

Mr.  Goodman. — ^Let  me  summarize  the  an- 
swers to  the  question  in  the  topic.  First,  by  get- 
ting unevangelized  men  to  come  to  the  meetings. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  281 

Second,  by  demanding  preachers  who  have  an 
evangelistic  message.  This  Brotherhood  can 
help  to  make  that  thing  possible.  There  are 
men  who,  if  they  felt  the  laity  were  demanding 
a  clean-cut,  strong  message  of  the  evangelistic 
type,  would  become  more  evangelistic  in  their 
preaching.  Third,  by  praying  for  the  preacher. 
I  know  a  church  where  every  Sunday  morning 
a  body  of  men  meets  at  10.15  and  prays  for  the 
preacher  in  his  work  that  day.  Fourth,  by  or- 
ganizing classes  for  training  personal  workers. 
You  have  heard  the  messages  this  afternoon. 
How  many  of  you  believe  in  your  hearts  these 
things  which  have  been  told  us?  If  we  do  en- 
dorse what  has  been  said,  what  hampers  the 
practical  working  out  of  the  program  which  has 
been  outlined  here! 

Delegate. — I  believe  it  is  because  we  have  not 
the  real  love  of  humanity  in  our  hearts.  If  we 
loved  men  as  Jesus  Christ  loved  us,  we  could 
go  to  men  everywhere  and  talk  to  them  about 
their  salvation. 

Delegate. — "We  let  other  things  crowd  it  out. 

Delegate. — Is  it  not  because  we  feel  that  there 
is  great  hardship  in  this  task!  We  feel  we  will 
be  rebuffed.  This  thing  of  personal  work  is  a 
great  question.  I  believe  there  is  a  tremendous 
opportunity  for  each  one  of  us,  and  I  have  been 
surprised  at  the  way  men  have  responded. 


282  THE    PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHEKHOOD 

Mk.  Goodman. — Many  of  us  are  kept  back  by 
a  misconception  of  how  the  other  man  feels 
about  it. 

Delegate. — Men  do  not  feel  like  doing  it  be- 
cause they  do  not  feel  the  obligation.  The  next 
great  thing  is  to  get  the  love  of  Jesus  in  your 
heart,  and  then  you  will  not  consider  the  ques- 
tion of  whether  you  love  men  or  not.  I  know  it 
is  not  easy  to  love  all  men,  but  if  we  love  Jesus, 
then  we  will  do  the  work  for  Jesus'  sake.  A 
rebuff  is  nothing,  a  failure  is  nothing,  as  far  as 
we  are  concerned ;  but  we  must  do  the  work  that 
Jesus  has  called  us  to  do,  we  must  be  faithful  to 
his  commands. 

Delegate. — A  great  many  men  do  not  talk 
about  it  because  they  do  not  think  they  know 
enough  about  it  to  talk. 

Delegate. — One  reason  that  I  have  found  that 
people  hesitate  to  talk  about  religion  is  because 
they  are  conscious  that  religion  is  not  manifest 
in  their  own  lives,  and  they  hate  to  talk  about 
a  thing  they  do  not  live. 

Mr.  GooDMAi^. — ^You  are  back  to  the  propo- 
sition itself.  Jesus  said  Christian  men  must  be 
witnesses ;  a  witness  must  know,  and  we  do  not 
know.  We  have  not  had  a  deep  experience. 
The  remedy,  of  course,  is  to  get  an  experience. 
A  practical  question :  How  can  a  man  who  really 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  283 

wants  to  be  faithful  to  the  plan  of  Christ,  how 
can  he  make  that  program  a  practical  thing  in 
his  daily  life?  First  of  all,  he  must  say:  ^'I 
will  accei3t  loyally  Christ's  program  for  my  life. 
It  may  cost  me  something,  but  I  will  take  the 
place  that  Jesus  Christ  designed  I  should  have 
as  a  Christian  man.  I  will  begin,  by  his  help,  to 
witness  for  him.  I  will  give  him  and  his  gospel 
the  first  place,  not  the  second  place,  in  my  life. ' ' 
Second,  he  must  try  to  form  the  habit  of  con- 
versational evangelism,  remembering  that  every- 
thing we  do  effectively  we  do  because  of  habit, 
and  long  practice.  Some  years  ago  I  talked 
with  a  body  of  men  near  Philadelphia, 
and  we  studied  this  question  together.  At  the 
close  of  the  conference,  a  number  of  the  men 
took  a  simple  covenant.  Among  them  was  a 
grandson  of  one  of  the  presidents  of  Princeton, 
a  college-bred  man,  a  son  of  Christian  parents, 
but  who  had  not  given  attention  to  this  form  of 
Christian  work.  He  said  to  me,  '^I  will  try  it 
the  first  chance  I  get.''  In  a  few  months  he 
wrote  me  of  his  experience.  He  was  called  on 
by  a  young  man  who  wanted  a  position  in  his 
office.  He  engaged  him.  As  he  was  about  to 
leave  at  the  close  of  the  day,  he  thought  of  his 
covenant.  He  said  to  this  man,  ^^Have  you 
ever  known  what  it  was  to  have  fellowship  with 
Jesus  Christ  I ' '  The  man  replied,  '  *  No ;  I  have 
not;  my  wife  belongs  to  a  church,  but  I  do  not 
know  anything  about  it. ' '  After  a  few  days  this 
young  man  was  called  to  another  position.    The 


284  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

employer  pressed  the  matter  tactfully.  He  did 
not  like  to  have  him  go  away  with  the  question 
unanswered.  The  young  man  finally,  right  in 
the  office,  gave  his  heart  to  Jesus  Christ.  And 
he  said  later,  '  ^  Any  time  within  the  last  six  years 
I  would  have  done  the  same  thing  if  I  had  been 
asked  to  do  so.'^ 

Third,  pay  the  price  of  skill;  you  cannot  get 
skill  without  paying  the  price.  This  means 
study;  it  means  prayer,  prayer  for  the  young 
men  you  have  on  your  heart ;  it  means  etf ort ;  it 
means  concern  for  men,  a  real  interest  in  men. 
Two  years  ago  last  Easter  I  spent  the  day  in 
Nova  Scotia.  I  had  a  talk  with  about  seventy- 
five  men  about  this  subject.  Among  them  was  a 
white-haired  banker,  who  seemed  to  be  im- 
pressed. He  took  the  personal-work  covenant 
that  morning,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night 
he  came  to  my  room  in  his  home  and  said:  ^^I 
want  you  to  help  me.  In  our  bank  the  assistant 
manager  does  not  know  Christ.  I  am  going  to 
speak  to  him  to-morrow  and  I  want  your  help  in 
prayer. ' '  The  matter  was  a  real  burden  to  him. 
Earlier  in  the  day  he  had  talked  with  the  cook 
in  his  home  and  she  had  decided  the  question 
after  a  brief  interview. 

Fourth,  we  must  have  fellowship  with  Christ. 
If  a  man  is  thoroughly  consecrated  to  Christ,  he 
knows  Christ  is  with  him.  ^^Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. ' '  Some 
seven  years  ago  I  spent  Sunday  in  Brattleboro, 
Vermont,  at  the  home  of  a  friend,  a  prominent 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  285 

man  in  the  town  and  treasurer  of  the  Moody 
Schools  for  twenty-five  years.  In  the  afternoon 
a  business  man  made  an  evangelistic  address, 
and  a  dozen  or  more  men  expressed  a  desire  to 
know  about  the  Christian  life.  I  crossed  the 
church  to  speak  to  one  of  these  men,  and  when  I 
finished,  the  church  was  almost  empty.  I  saw 
my  host  in  prayer  with  a  man.  When  he  came 
out  he  introduced  me  to  this  man  and  we  had  a 
few  words  together.  As  soon  as  the  man  was 
out  of  sight  my  host  said :  ^  ^  That  man  came  out 
of  state's  prison  yesterday  after  serving  a  sen- 
tence for  one  of  the  vilest  sins  in  the  category. 
He  swore  he  would  shoot  on  sight  the  man  who 
put  him  there.''  I  thought,  as  I  walked  away, 
**The  worst  citizen  of  Brattleboro  brought  to 
Christ  by  the  first  citizen."  Two  years  later 
General  Estey  was  called  home.  Always  the 
thing  that  gave  him  his  greatest  joy  was  that  he 
helped  this  criminal  to  know  his  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ.  This  was  characteristic  and  should  be 
normal  with  every  Christian. 

While  in  Colorado  some  time  ago,  I  prepared 
a  little  covenant  that  I  want  to  read  to  you. 
Over  fourteen  hundred  men  have  taken  this 
covenant,  men  of  all  kinds,  college  presidents, 
bankers,  students,  artisans,  clear  across  North 
America.  It  is  called:  A  Workable  Policy  in 
Personal  Evangelism,  ''  ^Follow  me,  and  I  will 
make  you  fishers  of  men.'  I  believe  that  Jesus 
Christ's  supreme  desire  is  that  all  men  in  every 
land  shall  be  won  back  to  his  Father.    Experi- 


286  THE    PRESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ence  shows  that  most  men  will  only  be  won 
through  individual  effort.  The  purpose  of 
Jesus  in  redeeming  me  included  my  becoming 
a  personal  witness  for  him.  I  will  endeavor 
from  this  day  to  bring  him  in  conversation  to 
the  attention  of  individuals  as  I  have  oppor- 
tunity. I  will  ask  God  to  give  me  the  opportu- 
nity." How  many  men  believe  this  is  a 
good  thing  and  would  like  a  copy  of  this  cove- 
nant for  your  own  use !  If  you  will  give  me  your 
name  and  address,  I  will  see  that  a  copy  is  sent 
you.  God  bless  you  as  you  try  to  do  the  thing 
that  God  wants  us  to  do  for  his  own  sake,  for 
the  sake  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  for  the 
sake  of  multitudes  of  lost  men. 

Dr.  Landrith. — Will  you  send  me  at  Nash- 
ville any  plans  and  suggestions  you  may  have  in 
regard  to  this  work,  anything  that  you  have 
tried,  or  anything  that  will  answer  this  question 
that  comes  to  me  so  often:  **What  is  the 
Brotherhood,  anyway,  and  what  can  it  do"? 
Write  me  as  soon  as  you  get  home. 

After  singing  by  the  male  quartette,  the  ses- 
sion was  closed  by  prayer  by  Dr.  Eussell,  of  St. 
Louis. 


XVIIJ 
THURSDAY  EVENING 

FAEEWELL   SESSIOIi 

Dr.  William  H.  Black,  Missouri  Valley  Col- 
lege, Marshall,  Mo.,  presiding.  Rev.  Henry  M. 
Curtis,  D.  D.,  of  the  Mt.  Auburn  Church,  Cin- 
cinnati, read  the  126th  Psalm,  and  offered  the 
opening  prayer. 

President  Black. — I  shall  not  take  the  time 
of  the  Brotherhood  for  any  remarks  of  my  own, 
except  such  as  I  may  ejaculate  between  speeches. 
I  think  that  in  the  person  of  him  who  is  to  be 
the  first  speaker  of  the  evening,  it  is  well  that 
we  should  recognize  not  only  the  man,  but  his 
office,  and  I  will  ask  you,  while  I  introduce 
Governor  Coe  I.  Crawford,  please  to  stand,  thus 
recognizing  the  higher  powers. 

Your  Excellency,  I  have  the  pleasure  to  pre- 
sent to  you  a  magnificent  body  of  Christian  men. 
And,  Christian  men,  I  have  the  privilege  of  pre- 
senting to  you  a  Christian  governor. 

Gov.  Crawford. — Mr.  Chairman,  and  Gentle- 
men of  the  Brotherhood:  I  assure  you  that  I 
regard  it  as  the  highest  possible  honor  to  have 

287 


288  THE    PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  privilege  of  meeting  you  in  this  manner  here 
to-night,  and  being  greeted  by  you.  I  feel  some- 
what diffident  in  presenting  what  I  shall  have 
to  say,  because  I  realize  that  I  am  addressing 
men  who  come  here  with  hearts  full  of  love  and 
interest,  and  who,  by  their  attendance  at  these 
meetings,  have  been  carried  to  the  loftiest 
heights,  while  I  have  not  been  able  to  be  here 
through  the  entire  convention,  and  my  attention 
since  yesterday  morning  has  been  given  to 
things  more  worldly  than  those  that  have  been 
under  consideration  here.  We  were  consider- 
ing, over  at  Columbus,  yesterday  and  to-day, 
the  question  of  rendering  **unto  Caesar  the 
things  which  are  Caesar's,'*  a  conference  upon 
the  subject  of  taxation,  rather  than  the  higher, 
more  elevating  question  of  rendering  **unto 
God  the  things  that  are  God's."  Further,  I 
realize  that  from  the  standpoint  of  ability  to 
discuss  the  questions  of  such  deep  import  as  I 
have  been  privileged  to  listen  to,  and  as  you 
have  been  listening  to,  from  those  who,  by  con- 
viction and  consecration  and  absolute  concen- 
tration of  life  to  the  work,  have  fitted  them- 
selves to  discuss  these  matters,  I  fall  short. 
But,  gentlemen  of  the  Brotherhood,  the  real 
purpose  after  all  is  to  extend  the  area  of  the 
work  so  that  it  will  reach  out  farther  and  touch 
humanity  closer  than  it  has  been  doing  hereto- 
fore, and  it  may  be  that  a  layman,  who  may  say 
things  that  do  not  square  exactly  with  theo- 
logical dogma,  but  who  bases  what  he  says  upon 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  289 

his  own  observations,  may  after  all  bring  some 
of  these  matters  closer  to  the  laymen  in  a  prac- 
tical way  than  can  always  be  done  by  those  who 
live  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  college  and  the 
pulpit. 


XIX 
SERVICE 

BY  GOVERNOR  COE  I.  CRAWFORD 

Human  intelligence  is  always  struggling  witli 
difficult  problems.  It  has  solved  many.  Some 
can  never  be  solved. 

Human  life  always  has  been  and  always  will 
be  the  most  inexplicable  thing  in  all  the  world. 
Whether  seen  at  its  best  or  at  its  worst,  it  is, 
nevertheless,  an  all-absorbing  wonder.  Whence 
came  11  Why  am  I  here!  Whither  do  I  go? 
These  questions  puzzle  alike  the  sage  and  the 
savage.  They  lead  one  into  the  domain  of  specu- 
lation and  leave  him  there  with  his  questions  un- 
answered. God  alone  knows.  He  is  the  answer. 
But  the  fact  remains  that  this  old  earth  is  the 
habitation  of  men  who  live  and  move  and 
have  their  being.  The  stern  fact  remains  that 
in  the  human  heart  there  is  good — there  is  evil 
also. 

Capacity  for  happiness,  virtue,  love,  grace, 
truth,  knowledge,  kindness,  trustworthiness,  and 
service  dwell  in  the  same  temple  with  capacity 
for  pain,  suffering,  sorrow,  remorse,  jealousy, 
hatred,  malice,  cruelty,  covetousness,  vindictive- 
ness,  and  the  whole  evil  brood. 

290 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  291 

I  have  little  in  sympathy  with  those  who  in 
abstract  contemplation  of  the  life  that  is  to 
come,  lose  all  interest  in  the  life  that  is,  and  all 
regard  for  the  present  needs  of  their  fellow-men. 
Everywhere  about  us,  alongside  of  wealth, 
luxury,  and  plenty,  dwell  poverty,  squalor,  and 
wretchedness. 

Shouts  of  joy  are  mingled  with  cries  of 
despair.  The  human  life  in  this  world  is  the 
thing  that  appeals  to  men.  You  cannot  fill  the 
churches  nowadays  to  hear  discussions  of  nice 
questions  of  theology  and  points  of  doctrine. 
You  cannot  reach  the  great  masses  of  men  and 
women  by  talking  to  them  about  the  rewards 
and  punishments  in  the  next  world.  They  can 
be  reached  upon  the  warm  human  side  by  sym- 
pathetic and  practical  help. 

' '  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me. ' ' 

This  is  the  test  of  present  day  Christianity. 
Brotherhood  is  a  good  name  for  this  organiza- 
tion. The  spirit  of  brotherhood  is  the  spirit  that 
will  help  men  to  lift  each  other  to  the  higher 
levels  of  life.  The  desire  to  serve  one's  fellows 
by  in  some  manner  making  life  richer  and  hap- 
pier to  them ;  the  desire  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to 
a  brother  man  who  is  struggling  under  a  heavy 
load ;  the  desire  to  put  sunshine  into  other  lives 
by  kind  deeds  and  sympathetic  words;  desire 
of  this  kind  followed  and  practiced  with  enthusi- 
asm and  good  sense  is  Christian  service  per- 
formed with  Christian  spirit.    Doing  something 


292  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

for  a  poor  struggling  fellow  human  being  in 
need  of  a  helping  hand  is  more  effective  than  a 
long  prayer  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  The 
Levite  could  pray  but  the  Samaritan  could  serve, 
and  his  service  was  what  saved  a  human  life. 

The  gentle  spirit  of  ministry  to  his  needs  which 
impelled  the  bishop  to  give  food  and  lodging  to 
Jean  Valjean,  and  to  give  him  the  silver  candle- 
sticks after  he  had  stolen  the  silver  plate,  made 
a  Christlike  man  out  of  a  hardened  criminal. 
The  loving  service  of  a  brother  man  put  the 
leaven  into  the  heart  which  redeemed  the  soul. 
If  we  can  help  men  and  women  to  look  up,  to 
climb  up,  to  treat  each  other  with  Christian 
charity  and  justice  in  this  life,  their  lives  in  the 
next  world  need  not  worry  us. 

* '  Not  what  we  have,  but  what  we  use, 
Not  what  we  see,  but  what  we  choose, 
These  are  the  things  that  mar  or  bless 
The  sum  of  human  happiness. 

"The  things  near  by,  not  things  afar; 
Not  what  we  seem,  but  what  we  are — 
These  are  things  that  make  or  break, 
That  give  the  heart  its  joy  or  ache. 

*  *  Not  what  seems  fair,  but  what  is  true, 
Not  what  we  dream,  but  good  we  do — 
These  are  the  things  that  shine  like  gems, 
Like  stars  in  fortune's  diadem. 

**Not  as  we  take,  but  as  we  give; 
Not  as  we  pray,  but  as  we  live — 
These  are  the  things  that  make  for  peace, 
Both  now  and  after  time  shall  cease. ' ' 

Our  fight  is  for  righteousness  in  this  world — 
for  Christian  ideals,  for  clean  life,  public  and 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  293 

private.  A  great  field  for  work  presents  itself 
which  does  not  come  within  the  scope  of  work 
done  by  the  institutional  church,  but  which  lies 
outside  church  activities.  The  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity pervades  an  entire  state  and  does  its 
work  in  a  thousand  ways,  without,  as  well  as 
within  the  church.  Organized  movements  for 
purer  political  life,  organized  methods  in  the 
distribution  of  charity,  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  social  settlements,  the  provid- 
ing for  and  maintenance  of  institutions  for 
defectives — all  these  are  pervaded  by  the  Chris- 
tian spirit,  and  yet  they  proceed  outside  of  and 
independent  of  the  institutional  church,  which 
more  than  ever  before  confines  itself  to  the 
conduct  of  public  worship  and  the  giving  of 
religious  instruction.  The  hope  of  this  Brother- 
hood lies  in  the  purpose  of  its  members  to  ex- 
tend the  horizon  of  its  service  into  larger 
areas,  and  to  make  personal  influence  count  for 
more  than  heretofore. 

What  is  wanted  is  intelligent,  tactful  and 
genuine  helpfulness  in  service.  A  brother  can- 
not be  reached  by  telling  him  that  you  are  pray- 
ing for  his  soul 's  salvation  and  by  quoting  texts. 
He  is  very  apt  to  be  fearfully  bored  by  what  is 
said  to  him  along  this  line,  and  to  have  some- 
thing in  his  heart  akin  to  contempt  for  the  one 
who  obtrudes  upon  him  for  the  purpose  of  say- 
ing it.  If,  however,  you  ask  him  to  join  with 
you  in  performing  some  really  kind  and  helpful 
service  to  some  other  man  who  needs  a  heljoing 


294  THE   PKESBYTEKIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

hand,  you  will  touch  his  heart,  enlist  his  sym- 
pathy, awaken  his  interest,  secure  his  aid  and 
win  his  confidence.  The  first  absolutely  neces- 
sary prerequisite  for  the  great  service  which 
may  be  rendered  by  this  organization  is  the 
maintenance  of  the  highest  standards  in  daily 
walk  and  conversation  by  each  member. 

It  is  not  the  profession  of  a  man,  but  it  is  the 
actual  loyalty  of  a  man  to  truth  and  right  when 
put  squarely  to  the  test  that  convinces  others 
and  makes  him  a  power  among  his  fellow-men 
for  good.  A  high  sense  of  personal  honor, 
sweetness  of  soul,  the  forgiving  spirit,  sympa- 
thetic interest  in  others,  absolute  cleanliness  in 
life,  a  firm  insistence  upon  one  standard  of 
honesty  and  morality  for  public,  political,  and 
corporate  life  and  for  private  life,  considerate 
regard  for  the  rights  of  others,  fidelity  to  trust, 
courage  to  stand  firmly  for  a-  righteous  principle 
— these  are  some  of  the  personal  virtues  abso- 
lutely necessary  in  the  man  who  would  undertake 
the  noble  work  of  helping  other  men  to  live  upon 
higher  levels  in  life  and  of  enlisting  them  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Master. 

Brotherhood  cannot  exist  if  the  lives  of  the 
members  are  selfish  and  self -centered ;  because 
the  very  essence  of  brotherhood  is  the  outflow- 
ing from  the  heart  of  each  brother  into  the  great 
stream  of  human  life — which  touches  us  on  every 
side — of  helpful  thoughts,  helpful  words  and 
helpful  deeds.  Salvation  follows  consecration, 
and  consecration  cannot  exist  without  surrender 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  295 

of  self  to  noble  service.  He  who  would  save  his 
life  must  first  lose  it,  by  surrendering  himself 
to  an  earnest,  honest  purpose  to  help  his  fellow- 
men.  This  is  the  spirit  which  will  win  the  world. 
The  actual  observance  of  the  golden  rule  in 
conduct,  the  realization  of  the  fact  that  here  in 
this  world  the  kingdom  of  heaven  may  be  es- 
tablished in  the  hearts  of  men,  the  consecration 
of  men  to  the  work  of  establishing  that  kingdom 
here,  by  inspiring  others  to  join  in  the  doing  of 
those  things  which  are  Christian,  these  are  the 
things  which  make  for  righteousness,  and  ex- 
tend the  kingdom. 

We  live  in  a  commercial  age,  and  everywhere 
there  is  a  mad  rush  and  wild  scramble  for 
money.  The  eager  chase  for  wealth  too  often 
so  fully  absorbs  the  thoughts  and  energies  of 
men  that  it  chokes  out  all  higher  sentiment.  In 
the  race  for  wealth  and  power,  we  too  often  find 
men  of  intellect  and  nerve  who  shock  us  by 
their  low  and  brutal  standards  of  morality,  their 
utter  lack  of  sympathy,  their  contempt  for  the 
weak,  their  sneers  at  all  that  is  pure  and  sweet 
and  unselfish,  and  their  low  estimates  of  man- 
kind ;  men  who  have  brains  without  heart,  power 
without  scruple,  force  without  sympathy;  men 
who  believe  that  the  end  justifies  the  means,  and 
that  the  only  aim  worth  considering  in  life  is 
to  achieve  what  the  world  calls  success,  no  mat- 
ter how ;  who  measure  men  entirely  by  what  they 
are  worth  in  dollars  and  cents,  or  by  what  they 
can  accomplish  without  reference  to  principle 


296  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

or  conscience.  Religion  to  them  is  a  supersti- 
tion, God  a  myth,  belief  in  immortality  a  mere 
dream.  They  believe  only  in  a  godless  world  in 
which  might  and  not  right  is  forever  king. 

They  are  great  stumbling-blocks  which  check 
the  growth  of  the  kingdom  in  the  hearts  of  men, 
and  interpose  intense  personal  selfishness  as  a 
barrier.  By  means  of  great  corporate  power  on 
the  one  hand,  and  the  abnse  of  the  power  of  or- 
ganized labor  on  the  other,  men  of  this  type  have 
outraged  the  golden  rule,  and  brutally  oppressed 
their  fellow  human  beings. 

It  is  a  sign  of  better  things  that  in  very  recent 
years  there  has  been  an  awakening  of  the  public 
conscience,  which  now  demands  that  men  in  high 
places,  whether  acting  alone  or  with  others 
through  corporate  organizations,  men  at  the 
head  of  great  labor  unions,  and  men  in  places 
of  trust,  shall  be  held  to  the  same  degree  of  ac- 
countability that  is  required  of  individuals  in 
the  more  private  walks  of  life,  and  which  de- 
mands a  high  standard  of  official  conduct  and  of 
civic  righteousness. 

A  great  brotherhood  of  Christian  men  taking 
a  broad  and  comprehensive  view  of  life,  and 
keenly  sensitive  to  the  weakness  and  temptations 
which  beset  the  path  of  thousands  of  their  fel- 
low-men, can  render  an  invaluable  service  to 
the  cause  of  practical  Christianity  by  working 
in  unity  for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  and  sus- 
taining in  steady  progress  all  these  forward 
movements  of  the  time.    When  men  who  belong 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  297 

to  the  church  by  an  effort  of  this  kind  get  out 
into  the  currents  of  life,  and  by  active  touch 
bring  men  to  higher  standards  of  living,  they, 
by  that  much,  bring  the  church  nearer  to  the 
great  mass  of  men,  and  add  to  its  saving  power. 

There  is  no  boundary  line  which  fixes  a  limit  to 
the  field  within  which  a  man  may  work  for  right 
things.  It  is  a  limitless  field.  It  is  an  inviting 
and  an  inspiring  field.  The  efforts  being  made 
to  establish  an  international  peace  tribunal  for 
the  settlement  by  amicable  arbitrament  of  dis- 
putes between  nations,  and  the  doctrine  that  the 
same  regard  for  truth  and  justice  and  honesty 
should  prevail  in  the  dealing  of  one  nation  with 
another  that  is  enforced  between  individuals, 
show  how  the  teachings  of  the  Master  are  mak- 
ing their  way  throughout  the  world.  It  is  the 
spirit  of  Christ  in  the  world  tending  toward  a 
universal  brotherhood. 

There  is  more  Christianity  in  the  world  than 
the  ultraconservative  churchman  is  apt  to 
think.  This  Brotherhood  will  undoubtedly 
break  through  the  crust  which  unduly  narrows 
the  church  activities,  and  it  will  give  to  the 
church  itself  a  more  correct  measurement  of 
what  is  in  the  hearts  of  the  great  body  of  non- 
church-going  men.  The  question  is  everywhere 
asked,  Why  are  the  men  absent  from  the  pews 
and  why  do  women  so  greatly  predominate  in 
the  congregations!  A  part  of  the  answer,  of 
course,  is  that  women  are  more  faithful  and 
pious  than  men ;  but  the  other  and  more  signifi- 


298  THE   PKESBYTEKIAN    BROTHEKHOOD 

cant  answer  is  that  there  is,  for  some  reason, 
a  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  average 
man  in  what  is  going  on  in  the  church. 

Occasionally  he  drops  into  a  pew  and  hears  a 
sermon,  but  he  looks  upon  the  group  of  wor- 
shipers as  a  set  of  peculiar  people  with  whom 
he  has  nothing  in  common.  There  is,  perhaps, 
a  rigid  atmosphere  of  Puritanism  there  that 
repels  him;  the  sermon  may  follow  a  monoto- 
nous repetition  of  commonplace  facts  and  ob- 
servations that  do  not  touch  him,  and  he  passes 
out  after  it  is  over  with  no  desire  to  return. 
Often  the  salary  paid  to  the  preacher  is  too  low 
to  enable  a  bright  and  progressive  man  to  live 
and  support  his  family  and  a  dull  and  narrow 
man  who  would  be  a  failure  everywhere  else  is 
trying  to  fill  the  place  of  a  minister. 

Again,  the  minister  may  be  all  that  could  be 
wished,  but  he  is  handicapped  by  the  few  men 
in  the  pews  who  insist  that  the  sermon  of  to- 
day should  keep  within  the  same  environment 
which  limited  religious  thought  and  speech  one 
hundred  years  ago.  While  fundamentals  re- 
main the  same,  the  conditions  and  environments 
surrounding  men  are  constantly  changing,  and 
this  fact  should  always  be  taken  into  account. 

Human  affections,  human  impulses,  human 
longings,  and  warm,  pulsing  human  life,  how- 
ever, continue  to  be  very  much  the  same,  no 
matter  where  you  find  men — in  great  cities, 
upon  the  farm,  in  the  village,  upon  western 
plains,  in  factory,  office,  shop  or  mine — they  are 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  299 

common  to  all.  All  are  brother-men  and  all 
should  be  joined  in  a  brotherhood  linked  to- 
gether by  a  common  Christian  purpose  to  help 
each  other  to  render  that  service  for  each  and 
for  all  that  will  make  the  world  a  better  and 
happier  dwelling  place. 

This,  of  course,  is  a  generalization,  but  a 
specific  organization  like  this,  doing  its  part 
with  a  whole  heart  and  in  its  own  field  con- 
tributes mightily  toward  the  general  result 
devoutly  prayed  for  by  all.  I  would  emphasize 
the  importance  of  getting  into  close  touch  with 
the  best  movements  of  each  locality  and  enlist- 
ing the  cooperation  of  the  best  men  within  and 
without  the  church  for  them..  One  common  pur- 
pose to  serve  will  bring  a  better  understanding 
and  closer  sympathy  and  these  will  give  oppor- 
tunity for  bringing  men  under  the  leadership 
of  the  Master. 

Dr.  Black. — The  good  governor  spoke  to  us 
out  of  the  fullness  of  his  heart  upon  things  civic, 
and  we  are  now  to  have  our  attention  turned 
to  things  of  world-wide  interest,  a  question  that 
is  coming  more  and  more  persistently  before 
Presbyterian  men.  The  next  address  of  the 
evening  is  to  be  given  by  one  who  is  not  to  speak 
theoretically,  but  from  his  own  practical  ex- 
perience. He  has  made  a  trip  around  the  world, 
and  he  has  used  iiis  eyes.  He  is  not  a  minister, 
looking  with  professional  eye,  but  a  business 
man,  peering  with  critical  attention  into   the 


300  THE   PKESBYTERIAN   BKOTHERHOOD 

problem  of  world-wide  evangelism.  He  was 
busy  when  he  was  making  this  journey  around 
the  world;  busy  with  his  eyes;  busy  with  his 
mouth,  making  inquiry;  and  he  has  been  busy 
since  he  got  back,  answering  calls  for  his  serv- 
ices in  various  parts  of  the  country. 

His  experience  is  not  unlike  a  story  a  Metho- 
dist preacher  told  me  of  a  cyclone  in  Kansas. 
A  minister  down  that  way,  after  the  cyclone 
had  spent  its  force,  went  out  into  the  yard  to 
see  what  was  left,  and  was  quite  surprised  to 
see  an  Irishman  who,  he  remembered,  had  been 
living  some  five  miles  away,  picking  himself  up 
in  his  yard.  '^Whj,^^  he  said,  **Pat,  how  did 
you  come  heref  *' Faith,  the  cyclone  brought 
me."  ^^Are  you  not  hurt?"  **No,  indade,  I 
am  not  hurt."  *^Well,  surely  the  Lord  was  with 
you."    ^'Well,  if  he  was,  he  was  goin'  some." 

Mr.  Ellis  has  been  ^^goin'  some"  since  the 
time  when  he  served  on  the  committee  which 
projected  this  Brotherhood,  and  he  brings  to 
us  to-night  a  message  that  is  the  result  of  that 
busy  period.  Mr.  William  T.  Ellis  will  speak 
on  ''The  Big  World's  Challenge  to  the  Men  of 
the  Church." 


THE  CHALLENGE  OF  THE  BIG  WOELD 
TO  THE  MEN  OF  THE  CHUECH 

BY  WILLIAM  T.   ELLIS 

The  principle  underlying  the  Brotherhood 
movement — that  movement  which  has  met  with 
such  extraordinary  response  on  the  part  of  the 
strong  men  of  our  time — is  one  of  the  deep  cur- 
rents of  contemporaneous  life.  It  is  man's  best 
nature  running  close  to  the  nature  of  God.  It 
represents  the  brotherhood  of  man  with  man ;  of 
man  with  superman ;  of  man  with  God.  We  are 
hearing  a  great  deal  about  the  stirrings  of  the 
political,  social,  and  commercial  conscience  of 
America.  This  Brotherhood  goes  into  the  very 
foundation  and  springs  of  that  movement,  which 
are  spiritual.  No  merely  superficial  interpreta- 
tion of  the  modern  develoj)ment  of  American  life 
will  satisfy.  Nor  can  we  be  convinced  that  a  suf- 
ficient expression  of  this  deep,  animating  spirit 
in  our  nation  has  been  attained  by  mere  political 
reform.  We  regard  this  phenomenon  as  only  a 
reassertion  of  the  eternally  divine  spirit  in  the 
human  breast.  The  Brotherhood  movement  of 
the  day  in  the  Christian  churches  is  a  more 
adequate  expression  of  this  new  spirit  of  the 

301 


302  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

times  than   is    any  particular   reform   in   any 
great  city. 

To  me  has  been  assigned  the  world-wide  aspect 
of  this  deeper  moving  of  the  human  spirit  of  our 
generation.  On  some  accounts  I  should  like  to 
have  been  confined  to  a  more  limited  theme.  I 
should  like  to  have  talked  about  the  Brother- 
hood's relation  to  social  service;  about  its  part 
in  bringing  religion  to  its  rightful  place  in  the 
common  life  of  every  day ;  about  its  share  in  the 
solution  of  the  industrial  problems  of  our  times ; 
of  the  Brotherhood  and  the  political  life  of  the 
nation;  of  our  duty  towards  the  present  and 
pressing  temperance  question ;  of  such  a  practi- 
cal theme  as  the  obligation  of  the  lajnuen  of  the 
church  toward  the  adequate  support  of  their 
ministers ;  of  the  modernization  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  the  danger  of  ossification  in  its 
forms;  or  of  the  normality  of  religion  to  the 
average  man. 

THE  GENIUS  OF  THE  ORDER 

Yet  as  I  name  over  these  important  themes,  I 
am  reminded  that  the  Brotherhood  must  stand 
for  the  principle  of  all  the  men  of  the  whole 
church  actively  concerned  in  all  the  work  of 
the  whole  church.  The  day  must  pass  when  any 
department  of  a  church's  activity  can  be  rele- 
gated as  a  profession  to  a  few  men.  This  is  true 
of  the  individual  congregation  and  of  the  de- 
nomination. A  church  run  by  boards  or  bishops 
is  in  danger  of  finding  the  latter,  all  uncon- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  303 

sciously,  becoming  merely  perfunctory,  profes- 
sional and  narrow,  and  liable  to  all  the  evils  of 
unfitness,  favoritism,  sectionalism  and  self-inter- 
est. When  the  business  of  every  board  is  made 
the  business  of  the  whole  church,  then  we  shall 
see  the  best  results  in  both  the  church  and  in  the 
world.  It  is  to  be  repeated  with  emphasis,  as 
was  said  last  night  by  our  new  secretary,  that 
the  Brotherhood  may  not  be  made  an  appendix 
to  any  special  cause  or  board  in  the  church,  else 
it  soon  will  degenerate  into  a  vermiform  appen- 
dix, a  thing  to  be  cut  out. 

I  dare  to  mention  this  somewhat  delicate, 
albeit  vital  matter,  here,  because  this  is  a  con- 
vention of  men  able  to  face  and  accept  all  their 
own  responsibilities,  asking  that  nobody  solve 
their  problems  for  them.  The  essential  mascu- 
linity of  the  Brotherhood  is  its  most  glorious 
feature.  This  is  an  order  of  strong  men.  The 
feeble  male  folk,  with  ladylike  virtues,  whom 
evil  report  has  pictured  as  having  in  the  past 
represented  religion,  have  not  been  found  in  the 
Brotherhood.  This  atmosphere  is  not  congenial ; 
they  do  not  find  their  ' '  affinities ' '  here. 

A  GLOBE-CIKCLING  TOUB 

The  Brotherhood  man  is  big  and  brave  enough 
to  front  a  whole  world  of  living  problems.  That 
I  have  been  called  upon  to  bring  to  him  some  in- 
timation of  the  gravity  of  the  world  problem,  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  for  somewhat  more  than  a 
year  past  I  have  been  playing  the  part  of  a  scout 


304  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

of  the  kingdom.  Within  twelve  months,  ending 
this  summer,  I  have  circumnavigated  the  globe, 
traveling  more  than  thirty-five  thousand  miles. 
I  have  traveled  in  nineteen  steamships,  in 
launches,  yachts,  sampans,  junks,  houseboats, 
canoes ;  I  have  ridden  in  railway  trains  without 
number,  in  jinrikishas  by  the  hundred,  in  sedan 
chairs,  and  palanquins ;  in  vehicles  innumerable 
and  incomprehensible — carriages,  caramatas, 
bashas,  ekkas,  tongas,  droskies,  Peking  carts  and 
wheelbarrows ;  I  have  ridden  on  donkeys,  horses, 
buffaloes,  elephants  and  camels ;  I  have  traveled 
many  weary  miles  afoot. 

I  have  penetrated  into  raw  heathendom.  I 
have  been  feasted  in  Japan  and  mobbed  in 
China.  I  have  shivered  in  Manchuria  and  been 
prostrated  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  degrees  of 
temperature  in  India.  I  have  bitten  the  dust  in 
North  China — and  been  bitten  by  other  things 
all  over  the  Orient.  I  have  talked  with  more 
than  a  thousand  missionaries  on  their  fields,  with 
diplomats,  consuls,  globe-trotters,  merchants, 
and  all  other  classes  of  white  men  in  the  Orient ; 
with  all  kinds  of  natives  who  could  be  reached, 
with  or  without  interpreter;  and  in  remote 
interior  places  I  have  talked  the  sign  lan- 
guage with  persons  to  whom  a  white  man  Is  a 
curiosity. 

Out  of  these  multiform  and  crowded  experi- 
ences I  bring  you  ^'The  Big  World's  Challenge 
to  the  Men  of  the  Church  To-day. '^  That 
challenge    is    that    the    enlightened    men    of 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  305 

Christendom  should  live  a  world-embracing  life, 
rendering  to  the  need  of  all  men  the  service  that 
is  peculiarly  within  the  power  of  Christian  men. 
The  proposition  needs  but  to  be  stated  to  be  ac- 
cepted ;  that  every  man  is  bound  to  achieve  the 
greatest  personality  within  his  power,  and  to  ex- 
tend the  effectiveness  of  his  life  as  widely  as  pos- 
sible. Provincialism  on  the  part  of  the  men  of 
America  is  an  offense  to  the  Man  of  Galilee.  It 
is  not  only  a  civilized  thing,  and  a  manly  thing, 
but  it  is  also  a  divine  thing,  to  have  the  whole 
world  for  one's  field  and  interest.  '*For  God  so 
loved  the  world. ' ' 

THE   WOKLD  ONE   NEIGHBORHOOD 

It  is  possible  to-day  for  a  man  to  live  his  life 
so  that  he  touches  the  uttermost  bounds  of 
humanity's  welfare.  I  know  a  Presbyterian 
Brotherhood  man  who  has  projected  his  person- 
ality very  largely  into  every  one  of  the  great 
countries  of  the  far  East.  He  himself  does  not 
even  imagine,  in  his  wildest  flights  of  fancy,  the 
service  he  is  thereby  rendering  to  a  mass  of  hu- 
manity in  its  formative  period.  The  business 
depression  of  recent  days  may  or  may  not  have 
affected  him  seriously.  Certainly  it  must  have 
engrossed  a  great  deal  of  his  attention.  But 
while  business  here  may  go  up  or  down,  his  work 
in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  is  having 
only  success.  Great  as  that  man  is  in  this  coun- 
try, I  am  not  sure  but  that  his  abiding  great- 
ness will  be  found  on  the  other  side  of  the  earth. 


306  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

Joseph  Cook  once  said,  '^The  nineteenth 
century  has  made  the  world  one  neighborhood; 
the  twentieth  century  should  make  it  one  broth- 
erhood.'^  We  are  seeing  the  realization  of  that 
prophesy.  We  also  perceive  that  if  the  neigh- 
borhood be  not  also  a  brotherhood,  it  is  a  menace 
instead  of  a  blessing.  Diverseness,  dissimilarity, 
hostility,  mean  little  when  people  are  separated 
by  the  ocean ;  they  mean  a  great  deal  when  they 
move  into  the  same  neighborhood. 

The  new  sense  of  world-brotherhood  which  we 
are  witnessing  to-day  must  evidently  have  a  part 
in  diminishing  the  unbrotherliness  which  has 
characterized  a  great  deal  of  our  commercial 
life  at  home.  No  sane  man  can  realize  his  re- 
sponsibility to  the  uttermost  fellow -man  without 
feeling,  in  an  increased  degree,  his  responsibility 
to  the  nearest  fellow-man.  A  larger  conception 
of  the  interdependence  of  races,  as  of  individ- 
uals, will  redeem  life  from  the  curse  and  blight 
of  smallness,  sordidness  and  selfishness,  of  which 
we  have  lately  had  a  lamentable  exhibition  in 
the  business  world. 

THE  PRESIDENT'S  PREACHMENT 

Two  weeks  ago  to-day  I  was  in  conversation 
with  the  greatest  preacher  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury has  produced,  the  preacher  who  has  the 
unique  distinction  of  seeing  more  of  his  preach- 
ments practiced  than  any  other — President 
Theodore  Eoosevelt.  In  discussion  of  a  cer- 
tain   foreign    question,    he    said,    **It    is    just 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  307 

a  question  of  how  far  our  people  are  willing 
to  go  in  self-abnegation/'  Taking  that  sen- 
tence out  of  its  context,  and  applying  it  to  the 
Brotherhood,  I  repeat  that  our  growth  and 
power,  and  success  and  fidelity  to  our  high  call- 
ing, are  just  a  question  of  how  far  we  are  willing 
to  go  in  self-abnegation. 

I  hesitate  to  suggest  the  argument  of  self-in- 
terest as  a  reason  for  being  concerned  in  the 
whole  world,  yet  it  remains  true  that  the  men 
who  are  alert  to  their  missionary  obligation,  to 
use  that  term  in  its  broadest  sense,  are  up-to- 
date,  or  ahead  of  the  times,  politically.  They 
know,  what  the  bulk  of  our  population  is  only  be- 
ginning to  realize,  that  the  Far  Eastern  question 
is  the  big  question  of  the  near  future.  If  we 
face  it  to-day,  it  will  be  less  of  a  problem  to- 
morrow. 

America  and  Europe  are  bound  to  care  for  the 
Orient.  They  cannot  help  themselves.  A\naat 
the  nature  of  that  relationship  is  to  be  is  the  mat- 
ter of  critical  concern.  It  would  appear  to  be 
the  part  of  ordinary  good  judgment  to  create 
relationships  of  friendliness,  good  will,  helpful- 
ness and  honesty.  Those  nouns  describe  the 
attitude  and  mission  of  the  cause  represented  by 
this  meeting.  If  America  can,  without  re- 
linquishing her  rights  and  her  own  self-respect, 
show  herself  the  true  friend,  counselor  and 
guide  of  the  Orient,  helping  the  latter  to  achieve 
its  highest  possible  destiny,  she  will  have  ac- 
complished a  feat  of  statecraft  which,  viewed 


308  THE   PKESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

merely  from  the  low  standpoint  of  self-interest, 
will  be  beyond  anything  recorded  in  the  annals 
of  diplomacy.  That  is  but  another  way  of  say- 
ing that  if  the  whole  nation  lives  up  to  the  plane 
of  its  Christian  missionaries,  both  the  East  and 
the  West  will  have  profound  and  lasting  reason 
for  gratitude. 

I  speak  of  world  welfare  from  the  missionary 
standpoint  because  I  believe  that  the  only  stand- 
point worthy  of  an  enlightened  man.  As  the 
editor  of  Tientsin's  daily  paper  said  to  me,  in 
praising  the  attitude  and  motive  of  the  mission- 
aries: **It  never  seems  to  occur  to  the  white 
men  who  are  out  here  in  business  that  they 
should  be  here  for  China's  good.  Only  on  that 
basis  can  they  justify  their  presence  here;  yet 
I  never  once  have  heard  such  an  idea  even 
remotely  suggested  by  any  business  man  in  the 
Orient. ' ' 

Mr.  Ernest  F.  Hall,  of  Korea,  truly  says,  **The 
Far  Eastern  question  is  primarily  a  moral  ques- 
tion. Through  its  missionaries,  America  is  the 
dominant  moral  factor  of  the  Far  East.  So  she 
is  to-day  a  greater  power  in  the  Orient  than  Ja- 
pan, or  any  other  nation. ' ' 

IT  IS  ''up  to"  the  MEN 

When  we  come  to  look  for  a  moment  at  this 
work  of  missions,  we  perceive  at  once  that  it  is 
peculiarly  man's  work.  Its  very  bigness  puts 
it  squarely  up  to  those  who  are  by  aptitude  and 
experience  qualified  to   deal  with  the  largest 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  309 

questions  in  the  largest  manner.  The  man  who 
thinks  that  in  his  everyday  business  he  has  to 
wrestle  with  great  issues,  will  find  that  in  this 
missionary  enterprise  he  is  confronted  by  vastly 
greater.  The  ripest  powers  of  the  ripest  minds 
have  here  a  field  which  taxes  them  to  the  utmost. 
This  is  an  aspect  of  missions  which  attracts 
rather  than  deters  strong  men.  The  boyhood 
spirit  which  made  us  want  to  ^'tackle  a  fellow 
our  own  size,''  still  abides  in  the  normal  man. 
The  largeness,  difficulty  and  intricate  relation- 
ships of  the  missionary  business  appeal  to  men. 
They  are  accustomed  to  difficulties  in  the  life  of 
the  workaday  world.  They  quickly  respond  to 
the  opportunity  to  apply  all  the  ingenuity,  force- 
fulness,  experience  and  breadth  of  mind  which 
their  commercial  training  has  given  them  to  this 
still  larger  proposition  which  now  confronts 
the  churches. 

Herein  is  a  ground  for  complaint  on  the  part 
of  men — they  have  not  always  been  trusted  with 
the  fullness,  largeness  and  difficulties  of  mission- 
ary work.  It  has  sometimes  been  felt  by  boards 
that  the  Christian  public  could  stand  only  the 
hopeful  side  of  the  missionary  situation.  I  be- 
lieve I  speak  for  all  men  when  I  say  that  they 
want  the  facts,  all  the  facts.  They  do  not  care 
to  suffer  any  delusion;  they  desire  to  face 
things  as  they  are.  They  are  as  devoted  to 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  as  any  board  secre- 
tary, and  they,  like  him,  will  not  be  deterred  by 
obstacles. 


310  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

We  have  heard  that  the  mission  work  of  the 
church  is  to  study,  to  pray  and  to  give.  This  is 
not  all;  the  entire  administrative  problem  of 
foreign  missions  should  reside  in  the  body  of  the 
men  of  the  churches.  A  complete  sympathy  and 
understanding  between  our  churches  and  our 
splendid  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  will  lay  the 
same  responsibilities  upon  the  hearts  of  all  men 
which  now  rests  upon  the  burdened  hearts  of  a 
few. 

THE  CRITICISM  OF   MISSIONS 

When  the  men  of  the  Brotherhood  enter  into 
their  inheritance,  they  will  deal  vigorously  with 
the  question  of  the  criticism  of  missions — a 
vastly  bigger  question  than  we  stay-at-homes 
realize,  and  one  that  goes  down  to  the  very 
foundations  of  missionary  enterprise.  They  are 
willing  to  admit  the  worst  that  is  true  of  mission- 
aries. They  can  understand  the  fact  that  some 
are  incompetent,  that  some  are  missionaries  as  a 
means  of  livelihood,  that  some  live  in  too  fine 
houses,  that  some  are  too  provincial  and  intol- 
erant ever  to  get  the  oriental  standpoint,  that 
some  in  China  interfere  with  the  civil  processes 
of  that  nation,  taking  an  undue  advantage  of 
their  extra-territorial  rights ;  that  some  are  un- 
able to  conduct  themselves  either  in  the  port 
cities  or  aboard  ship  with  that  wide  and  tolerant 
culture  and  sympathy  which  should  everywhere 
mark  the  Christian  ambassador.  They  are  will- 
ing to  admit  this  and  deplore  it ;  and  to  remedy 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  311 

it.  They  would  rather  hurt  the  feelings  of  an 
incompetent  missionary  than  to  injure  the  cause 
of  Christ.  Their  hard  business  sense  makes 
them  well  aware  that  the  church  can  better  af- 
ford to  pension  an  incompetent  missionary  at 
home  than  suffer  him  abroad.  The  standard  of 
missionar^^  character  and  fitness  must  constantly 
continue  to  rise,  as  it  has  been  rising. 

Here  I  must  say,  as  unequivocally  and  force- 
fully as  I  can,  that  having  admitted  the  most 
serious  charges  that  can  be  truthfully  brought 
against  any  members  of  the  missionary  com- 
munity, I  must  emphatically  register  my  opinion 
that  they  nevertheless  remain  a  remarkably 
wise,  unselfish  and  efficient  body  of  men.  Too 
long  we  have  invested  the  missionary  with  a 
halo;  we  have  regarded  him  as  a  sort  of  com- 
pound of  all  the  heroes  in  sacred  history,  with  a 
dash  of  the  Angel  Gabriel  added.  Now,  he  is  not 
that ;  he  is  no  more  of  a  saint  and  a  hero  than 
tens  of  thousands  of  American  Christians  at 
home.  He  is  simply  an  honest  man,  often  of  un- 
usual capability,  who  is  devoting  his  life  to  a 
difficult  form  of  human  ministry,  which  is  rightly 
considered  noble  and  praiseworthy.  Yet  the 
personnel  of  missions  as  a  whole  commands  the 
admiration  of  every  fair-minded  critic. 

THE  GREATEST  CRITICISM 

As  one  who  has  had  to  deal  more  thoroughly 
with  missionary  criticism  than,  perhaps,  any 
other  living  man — ^for  certainly  I  have  heard 


312  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

and  investigated  more  criticisms  of  missions  on 
the  field  than  any  other  person — I  want  to  say 
that  the  one  far-reaching  and  unanswerable 
criticism  of  foreign  missions  is  that  the  enter- 
prise is  entirely  inadequate.  Brotherhood  men 
want  no  self-dehision.  They  are  not  weaklings. 
They  stand  ready  to  face  the  bald  actualities. 
They  are  not  satisfied  with  a  merely  perfunctory 
missionary  occupation.  They  are  eager  to  do 
the  job,  and  not  merely  to  hold  down  a  position. 
They  cannot  be  content  with  any  theory  of 
evangelization  which  does  not  give  to  every  non- 
Christian  resident  of  the  world  a  repeated,  in- 
telligible and  adequate  presentation  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus.  It  is  not  enough  to  be  on  a  field, 
we  must  possess  the  field.  So  I  say  that  if  we 
mean  to  win  the  world  for  Jesus  Christ — if  we 
mean  business,  and  are  not  merely  enjoying  a 
pleasant  sensation  of  vicarious  service — we 
must  be  about  this  task  in  far  greater  fashion 
than  we  have  heretofore  been. 

Let  me  say,  in  all  freedom  of  speech,  that  we 
are  not  moving  the  heathen  world  as  a  whole. 
There  is  a  measure  of  truth  in  the  statement  of 
some  travelers  that  they  have  not  been  able  to 
find  evidences  of  Christian  missions  in  heathen 
lands.  The  vast,  inert  mass  of  paganism  has 
not  been  budged  by  the  missionaries,  despite 
their  wonderful  successes  with  parts.  True,  we 
have  peppered  the  great  pagan  lands  with  mis- 
sion stations,  and  there  is  a  shining  company  of 
native  Christians  to  be  reported,  and  an  influence 


CINCINISrATI    CONVENTION  313 

wielded  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  number  of 
workers  engaged.  Nevertheless,  we  are  only 
making  a  beginning.  With  the  exception  of  two 
lands — Korea  and  the  Philippines — there  is  no 
heathen  nation  that  really  seems  thronging  to- 
ward the  doors  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  al- 
though in  every  nation  there  are  people  not  a 
few  who  are  finding  the  Jesus  way  the  best  way. 
As  a  reconnoisance  in  force  the  missionary  en- 
terprise has  been  brilliant;  but  the  main  army 
has  been  a  long  time  in  coming  up  to  the  line  of 
battle. 

WHAT  OF  COMPARATIVE  RELIGIONS? 

Here  I  should  pause  long  enough  to  deal  with 
a  wide-spread  criticism  of  missions  that  threat- 
ens to  cut  the  nerve  of  the  whole  enterprise. 
Many  people  in  the  churches  have  been  carried 
away  by  the  idea  of  comparative  study  of  reli- 
gions. There  is  a  deal  of  sophomoric  talk  about 
the  respects  in  which  Buddhism  —  which  the 
speaker  usually  assumes  to  be  the  religion  of 
India,  although  every  beginner  in  mission  study 
knows  it  is  not — surpasses  Christianity.  ''Why 
should  we  send  missionaries  to  these  people,  who 
have  their  own  religions,  which  are  quite  good 
enough  for  them,  if  not  altogether  as  good  as 
ours!'^  such  a  one  remarks,  proud  of  his 
liberality. 

Now,  I  heartily  believe  in  the  fullest  and  most 
sympathetic  recognition  of  all  that  is  worthy  in 
non-Christian  religions.     I  want  to  read  into 


314  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

every  blind  groping  toward  the  supernatural 
an  instinctive  reaching  out  after  the  infinite 
God  whose  self-revealings  are  beyond  our  un- 
derstanding. Even  toward  the  most  benighted 
member  of  our  race,  I  want  to  display  the 
charity  which  my  religion  enjoins;  yet  as  an 
honest  man,  who  has  tried  to  judge  the  great 
oriental  religions  by  the  fruits  he  could  dis- 
cover with  his  own  senses,  I  desire  to  protest 
against  a  great  deal  of  this  deification  of  de- 
graded and  degrading  heathen  superstition  and 
practices. 

Grant  the  non-Christian  religions  the  utmost 
that  a  truthful  investigator  in  fairness  can  do 
— draw  the  veil  of  Christian  charity  (there  is  no 
such  thing  as  heathen  charity)  over  unspeakable 
expanses  of  vileness  that  bear  the  seal  of  religion 
— still  it  remains  true,  that,  judged  by  their  own 
fruits,  these  oriental  creeds  have  been  proved 
inadequate  if  not  debasing. 

They  lack  the  one  essential  which  Christian- 
ity on  the  mission  field  has  demonstrated  its 
power  to  produce,  which  is  a  new  life.  Students 
of  comparative  religions  may  attempt  to  match 
the  antiquity  of  Christianity ;  they  may  attempt 
to  equal  its  sacred  books  and  philosophy;  they 
may  even  attempt  to  parallel  its  peerless  leader. 
Nevertheless,  in  the  last  and  essential  analysis 
they  have  not,  and  their  most  devoted  adherent 
must  admit  that  they  have  not,  produced  the  new 
life  in  their  adherents  which  is  Christianity's 
supreme  gift  to  the  world. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  315 

The  argument  that  religions  are  racial  is  met 
by  the  fact  that  the  best  type  of  Christianity 
extant  to-day  on  this  earth,  exists  among  the 
yellow  men  in  the  peninsula  of  Korea.  Chris- 
tianity is  not  racial,  else  the  new  life  that  has 
been  born  in  Korea  would  not  be  more  radiant, 
more  powerful,  more  Christlike  than  the  Chris- 
tian life  of  America. 

HEATHENISM  AEKAIGNED 

Permit  me  to  indicate  three  particulars 
wherein  the  non-Christian  religions  have  failed. 
First.  These  pagan  faiths  have  produced  inef- 
ficient people.  The  difference  between  the  white 
man  and  the  native  in  the  East  in  *^ savvy"  and 
' '  can  do, ' '  as  the  pidgin  English  has  it,  is  mani- 
fest to  every  observer.  I  make  no  exception  of 
even  wonderful  little  Japan  in  saying  that  these 
oriental  people,  when  contrasted  with  the  great 
Christian  nations,  have  proved  inefficient. 
China 's  problem  to-day  is  acute,  because  she  has 
not  efficient  men.  Confucianism — that  boasted 
Confucianism  of  the  comparative  religionists — 
has  not  produced  enough  men  to  man  the  posi- 
tions of  public  service  that  call  for  common 
patriotism.  Because  she  has  lived  a  self-cen- 
tered, sordid  and  provincial  life,  China  is  now 
without  men  in  her  extremity.  It  is  for  Chris- 
tianity to  educate  the  Chinese  who  shall  make 
the  new  China. 

Second.  These  non-Christian  religions  have 
not  produced  a  helpful  society.    We  measure  the 


316  THE   PRESBYTEEIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

success  of  civilization  by  its  care  of  the  unfor- 
tunate. Twentieth-century  Christian  civiliza- 
tion proves  itself  by  a  Brotherhood,  such  as  this ; 
twentieth-century  heathendom  proves  its  nature 
by  such  unbrotherliness  as  you  can  scarcely  im- 
agine. The  East  is  cruel,  bitterly,  incredibly 
cruel.  Up  in  the  famine  region  of  China  I 
picked  up  by  the  wayside  a  boy  of  twenty  years, 
with  atrophied  arms  and  legs,  whose  parents  had 
cast  him  in  the  gutter  to  die.  There  he  had  lain 
for  three  days,  no  man  heeding  his  pitiful  wail. 
In  all  the  country  round  about  him  there  was  no 
place  where  he  could  be  cared  for,  except  in  the 
Christian  hospital.  I  have  seen  a  mob  of  thou- 
sands of  Chinese  gathered  about  the  headless 
and  grisly  corpse  of  an  executed  criminal,  and 
displaying  high  glee  over  the  spectacle.  I  have 
seen  a  widow  standing  by  the  body  of  her  dead 
husband,  lying  in  the  gutter,  and  the  surround- 
ing men  were  simply  amused  at  her  vain  efforts 
to  carry  the  corpse  herself.  I  have  seen  a  man 
struggling  for  his  life  in  the  river  within  reach 
of  hundreds  of  men,  and  not  a  hand  stretched 
forth  to  help  him.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  all 
the  eleemosynary  institutions  of  the  Orient  are 
either  Christian,  or  imitations  of  Christian  in- 
stitutions. 

Third.  These  non-Christian  religions  have 
produced  immoral  minds,  which  have  blossomed 
in  practices  so  immoral  as  to  be  unreportable  to 
an  occidental  audience.  I  have  seen  the  Yoshi- 
waras  in  Tokio.    I  have  been  on  Foochow  road 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  317 

in  Shanghai.  I  have  visited  the  Llama  Temple 
in  Peking.  I  have  had  interpreted  to  me  the 
Chinese  reviling,  which  takes  the  place  of  pro- 
fanity. I  have  seen  the  Korean  dance  hall.  In 
India's  most  sacred  city,  I  have  looked  upon  a 
temple  whose  carvings  are  so  obscene  as  to  be 
incomprehensible  even  to  one  whose  education 
has  been  gained  in  the  hurly-burly  of  modern 
city  life.  The  principal  object  of  worship  in  In- 
dia is  unmentionable  before  a  mixed  American 
audience. 

The  little  children  of  missionaries  in  the  Ori- 
ent, who  naturally  understand  the  language, 
have  to  hear  speech  so  nauseous  as  to  offend  the 
ears  of  even  a  strong  man.  This  is  one  of  the 
trials  of  the  missionary  of  which  the  Occident 
has  no  conception. 

My  time  is  up,  but  I  would  say  to  you  this: 
All  the  hope  there  is  for  the  East  lies  in  the  pos- 
sibility that  the  West  will  give  it  of  its  best.  The 
need  of  the  East,  its  one  great  and  all-compre- 
hending need,  is  the  need  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

One  day  in  Lucknow  I  stood  beside  a  Christian 
doctor,  who  treats  sixty  thousand  patients  a 
year.  If  you  young  physicians  want  to  enlarge 
your  practice,  the  East  is  the  direction  to  go. 
On  one  side  of  him  was  a  leper,  and  on  the  other 
a  man  with  black  smallpox ;  in  front,  two  or  three 
who  were  recovering  from  the  plague;  all  sorts 
of  diseases  were  there.  After  he  had  prescribed 
for  them  all,  he  was  called  to  come  outside  of 


318  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  house.  There  awaited  an  oriental  mother, 
who  had  brought  her  only  son,  who  had  been 
stricken  three  honrs  before  with  plague.  The 
only  course  that  held  the  slightest  hope  for  her 
was  to  bring  him  to  Christ's  representative.  I 
will  never  again,  I  hope,  see  in  a  human  face 
such  agony,  such  commingled  hope  and  hopeless- 
ness, such  faith,  such  love,  such  sorrow,  as  there 
was  in  the  mute  appeal  of  that  mother 's  face  as 
she  lifted  her  eyes  to  the  Christian  doctor. 
Straightway  that  Christian  man  reached  forth 
his  bare  hand,  and,  like  his  Master,  touched  the 
poor,  plague-stricken  boy  at  the  seat  of  his  dis- 
ease, and  bade  the  mother  hope. 

In  that  mother  you  see  personified  the  whole 
heathen  world.  It  does  not  know  how,  or  why, 
or  what  it  really  needs ;  but  its  only  hope  is  in 
the  healing  touch  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Dr.  Black. — Now,  it  is  very  fitting,  indeed, 
that  the  last  address  on  the  program,  the 
benediction,  should  be  pronounced  by  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel.  And  did  you  notice  the 
subject?  ''The  Book  of  Acts,"  by  Dr.  Edgar 
Work. 

Dr.  Work. — Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and 
Gentlemen :  I  think  myself  highly  favored  to  be 
allowed  to  stand  before  this  audience  this 
evening,  and  I  beg  that  you  will  lend  me  your 
hearts  and  your  ears  a  moment  as  we  consider 
together,    earnestly   and   with   prayer   in   our 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  319 

hearts,  this  Book  of  Acts  and  the  meaning  of 
it  all. 

There  are  certain  adjectives  that  would  come 
very  readily  to  our  lips,  expressive  of  this  con- 
vention. I  should  surely  call  it  wonderful;  I 
should  characterize  it  as  a  remarkable  assembly 
of  Christian  men,  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
in  Christian  history,  and  yet  I  have  a  feeling 
that  there  is  no  adjective  quite  adequate  to  de- 
scribe it,  as  the  fact  of  this  convention  is  a 
prophecy  of  things  that  are  to  be.  There  are 
two  or  three  things  that  have  very  deeply  im- 
pressed me.  First  of  all  is  the  profound  atten- 
tion of  the  men  to  the  themes  that  have  been 
presented  here,  and  to  the  great  theme  of  the 
gospel  which  was  behind  them  all.  I  have  been 
impressed  also  with  the  intense  intention  which 
has  been  evident  in  the  whole  course  of  this  con- 
vention. It  now  remains  to  be  seen,  my  brethren, 
whether  the  attention  and  intention  of  this  con- 
vention shall  be  characterized  by  retention; 
whether  we  shall  carry  away  impressions  that 
will  last,  and  which  through  the  coming  days 
will  help  in  bringing  souls  into  the  kingdom  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

I  trust  I  may  be  helped  in  these  closing  mo- 
ments to  tie  the  thought  of  this  convention  par- 
ticularly to  the  word  of  God,  although  that  has 
been  done  already.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  me  that 
from  beginning  to  end,  every  speaker  has  been 
speaking  out  of  an  atmosphere  of  God's  word. 
I  want  to  give  my  testimony  to  this  as  one  of 


320  THE    PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

the  sweetest  impressions  of  this  assembly  of 
men  upon  platform  and  floor,  that  God's  word 
has  dominated  ever^^thing.  I  count  it  one  of 
the  privileges  of  my  life  to  have  been  here  and 
heard  men  talking  about  the  things  of  this 
blessed  book. 


XXI 

THE  BOOK  OF  ACTS 

BY  KEV.  EDGAR  WHITAKER  WORK,  D.  D. 

There  is  a  book  of  the  New  Testament  whose 
message  I  would  bring  to  you  anew  as  we  come 
to  the  close  of  this  wonderful  convention.  It 
is  the  Book  of  Acts,  or,  as  it  is  commonly  called. 
The  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  I  do  not  care  to  dwell 
upon  the  last  word  of  the  title.  As  you  know 
very  well,  not  all  of  the  apostles  appear  in  the 
book,  while  there  are  many  others  in  the  mov- 
ing scenes  of  the  book  who  were  not  of  the 
apostolic  number. 

I  do  care,  however,  to  dwell  very  emphat- 
ically upon  the  other  important  word  of  the 
title — Acts.  It  is  certainly  not  without  signifi- 
cance that  the  book  that  follows  the  Gospels 
immediately  in  the  New  Testament  is  entitled 
the  ^^Acts^'  of  those  who  had  come  to  believe 
on  Jesus  Christ.  You  remember  what  Luke  says 
here  in  his  preface,  referring  to  the  Gospel  that 
he  had  already  written:  ^^The  former  treatise 
have  I  made,  ...  of  all  that  Jesus  began  both 
to  do  and  teach. '^  Now  it  is  his  purpose  in 
this  second  book  of  his  to  tell  the  story  of  how 
the  disciples  of  Jesus  went  on  with  the  work 

321 


322  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

after  the  Lord's  ascension — to  tell  what  they 
did,  their  acts,  because  of  having  come  to  be- 
lieve on  him.  It  is  a  sort  of  fifth  Gospel,  for 
yon  recall  how  Renan  has  said  that  there  are 
four  written  Gospels  telling  the  story  of  the 
life  of  Jesus,  and  then  there  is  a  fifth  Gospel 
which  tells  the  story  of  the  life  of  Jesus  in 
the  lives  of  those  who  believe  on  him.  This  is 
the  real  meaning  of  the  Book  of  Acts,  with 
marked  emphasis  upon  the  last  word.  It  would 
have  been  ten  thousand  pities  if  those  men  and 
women  who  had  known  Jesus  personally,  who 
had  been  with  him  intimately  in  his  walks  and 
talks,  in  his  miracles,  in  his  great  and  tragic 
sufferings,  had  not  been  ready  to  do  something 
for  him.  It  would  have  been  the  most  melan- 
choly fact  recorded  in  history  if  there  had  been 
no  Book  of  Acts  following  these  glorious  Gos- 
pels in  which  the  Son  of  God  walked  in  the 
flesh  among  men. 

We  need  waste  no  time  upon  such  a  supposi- 
tion, however,  for  the  book  is  here,  coming 
quickly  in  the  wake  of  the  thrilling  and  beauti- 
ful fourfold  story  of  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and 
John.  And  somehow  I  have  a  feeling  that  this 
book  is  where  it  is  that  it  may  instruct  us 
by  the  very  place  it  holds,  telling  us  that  when 
we  have  once  believed  on  Jesus  Christ,  we  must 
be  up  and  doing  for  him.  If  the  book  of  acts 
of  my  life  or  yours  were  written,  I  wonder  what 
sort  of  a  volume  it  would  make.  The  book  of 
our  beliefs,  our  privileges,  our  opportunities. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  323 

our  personal  knowledge  of  Jesus — that  book 
would  be  voluminous  enough.  But  our  book  of 
acts  for  Christ — Oh,  I  am  afraid  that  many 
of  Christ's  disciples  would  have  a  very  thin 
volume  to  bear  this  title. 

And  now  I  feel  that  we  need  to  think  of  this 
as  we  close  this  convention  of  the  Brotherhood. 
Surely  it  has  been  good  to  be  here.  For  many 
of  us  it  has  been  a  real  Mount  of  Transfigura- 
tion and  we  have  seen  more  of  the  glory  and 
exaltation  of  our  Lord  than  ever  before  in  our 
Christian  life.  Many  of  us  indeed  would  like 
to  stay  here  in  this  mountain  and  build  taber- 
nacles and  not  go  down  to  the  workaday  world 
again.  But  we  know  on  the  contrary  that  Christ 
is  calling  us  and  we  must  go  and  do  his  work 
the  best  we  can. 

I  am  afraid,  my  brethren,  more  afraid,  I  think, 
than  I  have  ever  been  in  my  whole  ministrj^, 
to  speak  any  mere  word  of  my  own.  And  there- 
fore I  want  to  bring  to  you  now  as  we  go  back 
to  our  churches  and  to  our  everyday  labors 
some  helps  from  this  thrilling  book  of  the  New 
Testament. 

It  is  a  thrilling  book.  It  has  about  it  the 
spell  of  a  great  and  irresistible  movement.  It 
has  in  it  a  sort  of  contagious  jubilation  of  ac- 
tion. The  book  of  action!  I  would  that  I  might 
be  helped  of  God's  spirit  just  now,  as  we  go 
away  from  this  memorable  place,  to  communi- 
cate to  the  strong  souls  of  God's  servants  here 
something  of  the  spirit  of  this  book.     It  is  a 


324  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

spirit  of  aggression,  of  activity.  Its  keynote  is 
*^Go/'  It  is  as  if  the  great  Captain  were  say- 
ing to  ns,  whensoever  we  read  the  Book  of 
Acts:  ** Forward,  march!''  It  is  the  stirring 
command  of  the  battle  hour,  but  not  only  this — 
it  is  the  command  which  every  worthy  enter- 
prise, every  institution,  must  hear.  It  is  the 
great  word  of  spiritual  progress  always  and 
everywhere.  There  is  nothing  dilettante,  noth- 
ing light  or  lily-fingered  about  this  scripture. 
If  you  are  ready  for  the  thrill  of  heroic  action, 
if  you  want  your  pulses  to  beat  the  rhythm  of 
the  strong  movement  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
if  you  are  eager  to  feel  the  agitation  of  the 
mighty  enthusiasm  that  is  born  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ,  you  will  find  all  these  here  in  this 
little  book  of  twenty-eight  chapters.  I  have  a 
feeling  that  it  would  be  well  if  we  were  to  go 
home  from  the  convention  and  sit  down  for 
some  days  with  this  book.  For  if  the  spirit  of 
this  book  shall  come  to  possess  us,  I  know  that 
we  cannot  be  easy-going  or  indolent  or  self- 
complacent  about  this  task  which  the  Master 
is  laying  upon  our  hands  and  hearts. 

Now,  if  we  want  to  catch  the  spirit  of  the 
Book  of  Acts,  we  must  realize  first  of  all  that 
it  begins  with  the  Lord's  ascension.  Out  there 
on  the  ** mount  called  Olivet"  they  were  per- 
mitted to  see  the  actual  exaltation  of  Jesus, 
and  they  followed  him  with  looks  of  amazed 
rapture  in  their  faces.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that 
the  real  activity  of  Christ's  disciples  begins, 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  325 

not  with  the  cross,  not  with  the  Resurrection, 
but  with  the  Ascension.  Recall  what  Paul  says 
of  the  Ascension:  ^^When  he  ascended  up  on 
high,  he  led  captivity  captive,  and  gave  gifts 
unto  men.''  This  is  the  new  starting  point  of 
the  church.  His  disciples  must  always  follow 
him  out  to  Olivet  to  witness  his  ascension ;  then 
they  will  be  ready  to  go  on  with  his  work.  I 
trust  that  this  convention  has  brought  to  many 
of  us  a  new  feeling  of  the  personal  glory  and 
exaltation  of  Jesus,  a  new  realization  of  the 
transcendent  and  inspiring  truth  of  the  ascen- 
sion of  Jesus  Christ — that  he  has  gone  up  on 
high  in  order  to  "fill  all  things"  with  his  glory 
and  power,  in  order  to  possess  for  himself  an 
increasing  and  never  ending  kingdom,  and  in 
order  to  give  at  the  same  time  his  ascension 
gifts  to  men  here  in  the  earth  who  are  to  do  his 
work.  If  this  vision,  the  vision  of  the  glorified 
and  ascended  Lord,  victorious  over  death  and 
sin,  triumphant  throughout  all  ages,  if  this 
vision  shall  but  fill  our  minds  anew,  I  know  that 
we  shall  be  ready,  as  the  early  disciples  were, 
for  our  book  of  acts. 

And  yet  I  think  those  first  disciples  must 
have  had  to  pass  a  crisis  at  once  in  their  spirit- 
ual history,  and  the  crisis  came  right  there  in 
the  upper  room  in  Jerusalem  after  they  had 
returned  from  the  mount  called  Olivet.  Sir 
Edward  Creasy  has  written  of  the  "Fifteen 
Decisive  Battles  of  the  World ' ' ;  but  it  may  be 
that  the  battle  of  the  upper  room  in  Jerusalem 


326  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

was  more  important  tlian  all  the  others.  It  was 
indeed  a  momentous  occasion.  They  were  fac- 
ing their  task — Christ's  task.  And  they  were 
facing  the  world.  It  is  a  most  interesting  scene, 
but  it  is  also  a  scene  of  suspense.  How  easy 
it  would  have  been  for  them  to  come  back  from 
the  Ascension  to  fold  their  hands  and  fall  to 
dreaming;  to  give  themselves  over  to  fine 
ecstasies  and  transports  of  thought;  to  sur- 
render to  mere  meditativeness,  to  masterly  in- 
activity; to  become,  as  Coleridge  says  in  the 
** Ancient  Mariner/'  like  ''a  painted  ship  upon 
a  painted  ocean,"  without  stir  or  movement  or 
action.  On  the  contrary,  the  church  was  in  the 
upper  room  preparing  herself  for  action.  One 
is  carried  back  in  memory  to  an  earlier  scene 
wherein  the  young  shepherd  lad  is  preparing  for 
action,  going  down  to  the  brook  with  his  staff 
and  his  sling  and  his  shepherd's  bag,  to  gather 
up  a  handful  of  smooth  stones,  and  then  to  go 
out  to  meet  the  giant.  **He  was  but  a  youth, 
and  ruddy,  and  of  a  fair  countenance."  The 
early  church  was  like  the  shepherd  lad,  a  mere 
child,  yet  the  church  was  there  in  the  upper 
room  preparing  for  the  Book  of  Acts. 

I  think  I  need  not  point  out  to  you  the  fact 
that  there  is  a  crisis  like  that  for  us  just  now. 
Shall  this  convention  end  in  a  fine  frenzy  of  feel- 
ing, in  a  masterly  demonstration  of  interest,  in 
the  enthusiasm  of  rumor  and  reports,  or  shall 
it  go  on  to  write  new  pages  in  the  book  of  the 
acts  of  those  who  love  the  Lord?     Shall  this 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  327 

upper  room  of  our  i^rivilege  be  a  place  of  dreams 
aud  promises,  of  spiritual  dilettanteism,  of  pur- 
poses frozen  into  the  fine,  cold  architecture  of 
resolutions — this  only  I  Or  shall  it  be  the  birth- 
place of  action,  the  open  door  into  a  new  era 
of  actual  workmanship  for  Jesus  Christ  such  as 
we  have  never  known  before  I 

And  even  as  we  pray  for  the  jubilation  of  ac- 
tion to  come  upon  us,  let  us  be  careful  to  make 
note  of  the  principles  that  must  be  kept  at  the 
front  in  all  successful  work  for  Christ.  If  our 
Lord  were  here  to-night,  as  he  assuredly  is  by 
his  spirit,  and  we  should  ask  him  anxiously  the 
question,  ^'How,  Lord,  shall  we  go  forward?" 
I  doubt  not  he  would  mark  out  the  same  lines 
of  progress  that  were  marked  out  for  his  first 
disciples.    And  what  are  these  lines? 

First,  then — Let  us  not  try  to  go  forward  with- 
out spiritual  power.  It  is  this  that  makes  this 
little  Book  of  Acts  the  impressive  document 
that  it  is.  This  stir  and  movement,  this  ability 
which  even  feeble  men  seem  to  be  getting  hold 
of  to  do  valiant  and  stalwart  work  for  the 
gospel — all  this  is  no  surface  power,  no  mere 
spell  of  method  and  organization.  Oh,  no,  you 
cannot  explain  the  Book  of  Acts  by  Gibbon's 
^ '  Five  Causes. ' '  There  was  a  greater  cause  than 
anything  else — the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  In 
reality  it  is  the  Book  of  the  Acts  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  There  it  is  at  the  very  beginning  at  the 
great  Pentecost  in  the  second  chapter,  when 
there  came  a  sound  from  heaven  as  of  ''a  rush- 


328  THE    PRESBYTEBIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ing  mighty  wind. ' '  Think  what  the  early  church 
would  have  been  without  the  day  of  Pentecost 
to  constitute  the  preface  to  the  history.  Christ 
had  told  them  to  wait  for  this,  as  if  he  feared 
they  might  try  to  rush  ahead  without  it.  He 
knew  that  they  could  not  do  his  work  without 
spiritual  power.  No  one  ever  can.  You  can 
make  the  wheels  move  in  a  mechanical  way, 
but  back  of  the  wheels  you  must  have  the  power. 
Wheels  that  are  merely  made  to  go  are  sure 
to  come  to  a  dead  pause  after  while.  It  may 
be  that  Presbyterians  do  not  backslide,  but 
Presbyterians  do  slow  up  at  times  in  a  very 
lamentable  way.  All  of  Christ's  disciples  need 
power.  Christ  spoke  of  it  at  the  beginning: 
**Ye  shall  receive  power.*'  It  is  the  first  im- 
portant lesson  of  the  Book  of  Acts.  There  is 
the  ^^ little  Pentecost''  in  the  fourth  chapter, 
when  the  place  was  shaken  where  they  were 
assembled  together.  In  the  eighth  chapter  there 
is  a  Samaritan  Pentecost.  In  the  ninth  chapter 
the  personal  Pentecost.  In  the  tenth  chapter 
the  Gentile  Pentecost.  In  the  thirteenth  chap- 
ter the  missionary  Pentecost.  And  so  on.  There 
are  more  than  threescore  instances  of  the 
manifestation  of  spiritual  power  in  this  little 
book.  Oh,  it  is  an  unmistakable  lesson. 
Christ 's  ascension  gift  of  spiritual  power  is  like 
one  of  those  wonderful  boxes  of  oriental  work- 
manship. You  open  it  only  to  find  another 
within,  and  so  on.  There  is  no  patent  device 
for  success  in  the  divine  kingdom.    There  will 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  329 

be  new  ways  and  new  methods;  but  there  is 
only  one  secret.  It  came  out  in  this  early  Book 
of  Acts  and  it  must  come  out  in  our  book  of 
acts.  It  is  right  then  for  me  to  urge  you,  my 
brethren,  in  these  closing  moments,  to  go  for- 
ward in  this  way.  Seek  after  spiritual  power. 
Seek  method  and  organization  and  system  and 
discipline.  But  seek  power  for  all  your  methods 
and  machinery,  else  these  very  plans  that  you 
make  will  creak  and  groan  drearily  like  the  fans 
of  a  windmill.  A  very  large  plan  will  be  a 
dismal  failure  without  divine  power  behind  it, 
whilst  a  very  small  plan  may  be  elevated  at 
once  to  the  level  of  spiritual  success  because 
God  is  in  it.  You  can  even  put  spiritual  power 
into  your  hand  shake  so  that  a  man  will  say: 

' '  Hush,  I  pray  you ! 
What  if  this  friend  happens  to  be  God." 

Nor  do  we  have  to  seek  very  far  to  learn  how 
spiritual  power  comes.  It  is  another  impressive 
lesson  of  this  Book  of  Acts.  I  would  like  to 
show  you  if  I  had  the  time  what  a  book  of 
prayer  it  is,  and  how  they  were  listening — **that 
small  transfigured  band  whom  the  world  could 
not  tame'' — how  they  were  listening  in  prayer 
and  doubtless  also  in  Bible  reading  for  God's 
word  to  them.  For  this  is  what  prayer  is — it 
is  listening  to  God,  fully  as  much  as  speaking 
to  him.  I  might  say  to  you,  did  you  begin  this 
day  by  pausing  to  listen  for  some  silent,  at- 
tentive moments  to  God!    Tennyson  calls  this 


330  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

*Hlie  silent  life  of  prayer.'^  If  you  are  going 
to  live  well  and  do  your  work  well,  you  must 
not  neglect  to  build  up  your  life,  back  there 
in  the  silent  places  with  God.  There  is  noise 
everywhere  in  the  modern  world.  A  recent 
writer  speaks  of  seven  kinds  of  noises  in  the 
modern  city.  He  might  rather  have  spoken  of 
seventy  times  seven.  The  quietest  place  a  man 
can  find  nowadays  is  the  quiet  place  with  God, 
when  he  enters  into  his  closet  and  shuts  the 
door.  It  is  a  wonderful  thing  to  be  alone  for 
a  little  while  every  day  with  God,  upon  one's 
knees  or  with  some  open  page  of  the  Bible.  It 
has  been  left  to  one  of  the  leading  scientists  of 
our  day,  Sir  Oliver  Lodge,  to  say  to  the  world 
from  the  scientific  standpoint,  ^^The  Christian's 
philosophy  of  prayer  is  as  reasonable  as  any- 
thing we  know  in  human  life. ' '  The  great  poets 
are  believers  in  prayer  with  scarcely  an  excep- 
tion. Take  your  Tennyson,  for  example,  and 
run  through  his  poems  of  life  to  see  how  often 
he  avows  his  faith  in  prayer: 

''No  help  but  prayer — 
A  breath  that  fleets  beyond  this  iron  world 
And  touches  him  that  made  it." 

Or  remember  what  King  Arthur  said  to  one 
of  his  knights: 

*'Pray  for  my  soul. 
More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer 
Than  this  world  dreams  of." 

But  without  scientists  and  poets  and  theo- 
logians to  tell  us  to  believe  in  prayer,  God  has 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  331 

given  us  the  example  of  the  first  disciples  here 
in  the  Book  of  Acts.  That  was  the  first  Brother- 
hood meeting  the  church  held  there  in  the  upper 
room — *' Peter,  and  James,  and  John,  and  An- 
drew, Philip  and  Thomas.'^  And  they  were 
continuing  ^'with  one  accord  in  prayer/^  I 
rejoice  that  we  have  had  much  prayer  in  this 
convention.  We  have  been  following  the 
apostolic  example  and  it  argues  for  power.  Yes, 
these  first  Christian  brethren  of  the  Lord  were 
listening  to  God.  And  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say 
that  we  shall  never  come  to  a  time  when  this 
is  not  needed.  I  am  thinking  just  now  of  the 
wonderful  results  that  would  come  if  the  stal- 
wart Christian  men  of  this  convention,  men  of 
light  and  leading  in  their  communities  and 
churches,  were  all  strong  in  prayer  and  in  the 
word.  Let  us  make  no  mistake  about  this, 
brethren.  We  want  to  make  this  work  of  ours 
deep  and  far-reaching.  We  want  to  fill  the 
work  of  these  organizations  with  the  blood-red 
energies  of  the  gospel.  We  want  to  do  down- 
right work  for  our  Master.  We  are  not  ashamed 
of  him,  nor  ashamed  to  be  known  as  his  work- 
ingmen.  We  are  not  sorry,  but  glad,  to  belong 
to  the  Guild  of  the  Carpenter,  with  overall  and 
blouse  and  cap,  and  compass  and  square  and 
saw  and  plane.  *^Get  your  tools  ready,  God 
will  give  you  the  work  to  do.'*  We  want,  in 
other  words,  to  do  a  little  work,  a  little  mend- 
ing, a  little  carpentering,  a  little  real,  genuine, 
worthy  work  for  him  who  has  never  turned  his 


332  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

back  ,upon  us.  Let  us  do  a  little  work  for  the 
great  Workman!  Who  is  there  here  who  is 
not  ready  for  his  book  of  acts?  Go  home  and 
call  the  men  together  and  organize  your  Brother- 
hood, your  Guild  of  Christ,  but  do  not  neglect 
to  have  your  prayer  circle,  too,  and  your  Bible 
class.  Build  up  the  silent  life  of  your  men,  the 
life  of  prayer  and  Bible  study.  You  will  get 
real  efficiency  thus:  for  you  will  have  a  back- 
ground of  spiritual  life. 

I  had  hoped  to  speak  of  some  other  impress- 
ive lessons  coming  out  of  this  book.  I  may 
merely  mention  them. 

A  third  thing  that  is  tremendously  impress- 
ive here  is  the  way  the  men  of  the  early  church 
did  their  work  by  individual  effort,  by  personal 
consecration.  It  is  a  book  of  biographies,  and 
biography  is  the  most  interesting  kind  of  litera- 
ture. It  is  a  wonderful  character  book,  too. 
And  one  thing  captivates  us.  Every  disciple  is 
busy.  Even  little  Ehoda  is  opening  the  door 
for  an  apostle.  Oh,  we  must  have  this  power 
of  individual  usefulness,  of  individual  sacrifice. 
When  Nehemiah  built  the  wall,  he  began  at  the 
sheep-gate  and  that  was  the  place  of  sacrifice. 
A  Christian  member  of  the  English  Parliament 
was  addressing  a  missionary  society  not  long 
since,  and  he  said  a  memorable  thing.  Said  he : 
^^You  can't  expect  to  win  the  world  to  Christ 
with  your  spare  cash.''  There  is  a  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice,  a  willingness  to  give  up  to  Christ, 
that  is  going  to  win  great  victories.    It  was  so 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  333 

in  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  it  will  be  so 
in  our  book  of  acts.  If  you  are  willing  to  hold 
yourself  and  some  portion  of  your  time  and 
some  portion  of  your  money  subject  to  Christ's 
call,  then  you  will  be  in  the  way  of  victory.  You 
remember  what  Paul  wrote  about  some  Chris- 
tians whom  he  knew:  They  ^' first  gave  their 
own  selves. '^ 

There  is  one  thing  more.  Let  us  go  forward 
as  men  in  the  Book  of  Acts  did  with  the  mission- 
ary idea,  with  the  passion  for  winning  souls  here 
and  in  the  wide  circles  of  the  world.  I  have 
often  thought  that  the  thirteenth  chapter  of 
Acts  is  the  greatest  in  the  book.  It  is  another 
meeting  of  the  Brotherhood.  It  is  in  Antioch. 
Apparently  there  are  but  five  men  there.  I 
read  their  names  with  a  thrill  in  my  heart, 
**  Barnabas,  and  Simeon,  that  was  called  Niger, 
and  Lucius  of  Cyrene,  and  Manaen,  .  .  .  and 
Saul."  To  this  meager  meeting  of  the  Chris- 
tian Brotherhood  in  Antioch  there  came  a 
marvelous  vision.  It  was  a  vision  of  the  world, 
and  of  the  cross  of  Christ  lifted  in  the  world 
for  the  salvation  of  men.  And  with  the  vision 
came  a  burden — the  burden  of  precious  souls. 
And  even  as  they  ministered  to  the  Lord  and 
fasted — I  think  this  means  that  as  they  wor- 
shiped and  prayed  and  meditated  and  studied 
about  the  work  of  Christ,  just  as  we  have  been 
doing  here — the  power  of  God  came  upon  them 
and  the  voice  of  the  Holy  Spirit  said:  ^* Sepa- 
rate me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  where- 


334  THE   PRESBYTEEIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

unto  I  have  called  them/'  This  is  the  highest 
mountain  peak  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  this  sec- 
ond verse  of  the  thirteenth  chapter.  I  would 
that  we  might  be  lifted  to  that  mountain  peak 
even  now  at  the  end  of  this  meeting  of  the 
Brotherhood.  This  word  ^  *  Brotherhood '  *  will 
never  mean  as  much  as  it  ought  to  mean  to  us 
until  we  have  gone  up  to  this  mountain  peak 
of  vision  with  Christ  and  have  seen,  himself 
pointing  it  out  to  us,  the  needs  of  the  world 
for  which  he  died.  And  we  shall  never  be 
ready  to  enter  the  right  way  into  our  book  of 
acts  until  we  have  realized  that  Brotherhood 
in  Christ's  way  of  interpreting  it  means  a  pas- 
sion of  the  heart  for  souls — souls  for  whom 
Christ  died.  Yes,  my  brethren,  our  great 
Captain  is  saying  to  us:  **Go  forward, '*  and 
he  is  pointing  out  the  way,  the  way  of  spiritual 
power,  the  way  of  prayer  and  Bible  study,  the 
way  of  individual  service  and  personal  conse- 
cration, the  way  of  the  passion  for  the  winning 
of  souls.    And  I  trust  that  we  are  ready. 

Long  ago  in  the  city  of  Florence  two  artists 
lived  together,  both  of  them  sculptors,  Michel- 
angelo and  Donatello.  Donatello  had  com- 
pleted his  great  figure  of  St.  George,  and  the 
people  were  admiring  it  as  it  stood  in  front  of 
the  Church  of  San  Michele.  But  everybody 
wanted  to  know  what  the  great  Michelangelo 
thought.  At  length  he  came  and  looking  at  the 
splendid  figure,  every  limb  perfect,  every  line 
complete,  the  face  lighted  almost  with  human  in- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  335 

telligence,  the  brow  uplifted  and  the  form  poised 
as  if  it  would  step  forth  into  life,  just  as  you  may 
have  seen  it  in  its  niche  to-day  in  the  Italian 
Gallery,  looking  still  upon  the  statue,  and  slowly 
lifting  his  hand,  he  said :  * '  Now,  march  1  ^ ' 
It  is  our  Lord's  word  to  us! 

Mr.  Holt. — We  will  fittingly  close  this  con- 
vention by  bowing  in  prayer  with  our  General 
Secretary,  Dr.  Landrith,  and  then,  after  singing 
that  hymn  of  triumph,  '^All  Hail  the  Power  of 
Jesus'  Name,''  the  benediction  will  be  pro- 
nounced by  Eev.  Joseph  A.  Vance,  D.D.,  of  Chi- 
cago. 


XXII 
WEDNESDAY  MORNING 


BROTHERHOOD  CONVENTION  BUSINESS. 

Mr.  Holt. — I  am  directed  by  the  Council  to 
announce  that,  at  its  request,  Mr.  Allan  Suther- 
land, who  so  efficiently  served  as  secretary  of 
the  last  convention,  will  perform  the  same  serv- 
ice this  year. 

Let  me  say,  in  further  explanation,  that  we 
will  not  draw  the  lines  closely  on  the  question 
of  the  right  to  vote.  Should  a  very  grave  ques- 
tion arise,  it  might  be  necessary  to  ask  only  the 
regularly  appointed  delegates  to  vote,  but  un- 
less some  such  question  does  arise  all  will  have 
a  right  to  vote. 

Perhaps  the  first  thing  of  importance  is  the 
appointment  of  committees. 

Mr.  Sisson,  of  Chicago. — I  move  that  the 
chair  appoint  the  following  committees : 

1.  A  committee  of  fifteen  on  resolutions,  to 
whom  shall  be  referred  all  proposed  resolu- 
tions and  motions  requiring  reference  to  a  com- 
mittee, except  as  the  convention  shall  otherwise 
direct. 

336 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  337 

2.  A  committee  of  fifteen  on  nominations,  to 
report  candidates  for  election  to  the  Council. 

3.  A  committee  of  seven  on  correspondence, 
to  whom  shall  be  referred  communications  from 
outside  bodies,  and  the  preparation  of  letters 
and  t-elegrams  ordered  to  be  sent  in  the  name 
of  the  convention.    Carried. 

Me.  Holt. — The  chair  will  announce  the  ap- 
pointment of  committees  at  the  close  of  the  busi- 
ness session. 

I  am  further  directed  by  the  Council  to  read 
to  the  convention  its  report  for  the  year  ending 
November  12th,  1907. 

ANNUAL  REPORT  OF  THE  COUNCIL 

The  Council  chosen  by  the  convention  of  1906 
was  ^^commissioned  with  full  power  to  adopt  a 
constitution  .  .  .  with  the  understanding  that 
changes  in  said  constitution  may  be  made  at  the 
next  national  convention.''  For  this  purpose  a 
meeting  of  the  Council  was  held  in  Chicago  on 
December  14th,  1906,  and  was  attended  by  four- 
teen members,  ill-health  and  other  unavoidable 
causes  detaining  several  members  who  had  ex- 
pected to  be  present,  some  of  whom  contributed 
valuable  suggestions. 

After  thorough  deliberation  and  study  of  all 
the  suggestions  presented  to  it,  the  Council 
imanimously  adopted  a  constitution,  of  which  a 
copy  is  appended  to  this  report;   and  after  re- 


338  THE    PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ceiving  the  approval  of  those  members  of  the 
Council  who  were  not  present  at  the  meeting, 
this  constitution  was  published  in  the  church 
papers  and  otherwise  widely  circulated. 

In  May  it  further  received  the  unanimous  ap- 
proval of  the  General  Assembly  at  its  meeting 
in  Columbus,  Ohio.  For  this  and  for  the  very 
general  commendation  of  the  constitution  by 
those  who  have  examined  it,  the  members  of  the 
Council  are  deeply  grateful. 

Little  comment  is  necessary  upon  the  features 
of  the  constitution.  The  largest  question  that 
arose  with  reference  to  it  was  whether  the 
Brotherhood  ought  to  be  a  new  and  formal  or- 
ganization, either  duplicating  or  superseding 
those  already  in  existence,  or  an  elastic  federa- 
tive agency  to  stimulate  and  guide  all  forms  of 
organization  of  men  for  definite  Christian  serv- 
ice. The  Council  was  led  to  a  clear  and  unani- 
mous conviction  that  the  latter  is  the  true  func- 
tion of  the  Brotherhood,  and  that  its  greatest 
usefulness  will  be  as  a  center  of  enthusiasm  and 
a  clearing  house  of  practical  experience  and 
suggestion.  The  unit  of  membership,  therefore, 
in  the  National  Brotherhood  is  the  organization 
of  men  in  the  local  church.  The  whole  scheme 
is  one  of  home  rule  and  local  self-government. 
The  undivided  allegiance  of  the  individual  mem- 
ber is  to  his  own  church. 

It  is  the  desire  of  the  Council  to  work  to  the 
largest  possible  extent  through  pastors  and  Ses- 
sions and  through  Presbyteries  and  Synods.    It 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  339 

was  voted  that  the  chairmen  of  Synodical  Com- 
mittees on  the  Brotherhood  be  members  of  the 
Advisory  Committee  of  the  Brotherhood  for 
their  respective  states  of  residence. 

Loyalty  to  our  church  is  secured  by  the  pro- 
visions, in  Article  I,  that  the  Brotherhood  shall 
at  all  times  be  subject  to  the  control  of  the 
Assembly,  and  in  Article  III,  that  no  local  or- 
ganization can  become  or  continue  a  member 
of  the  National  Brotherhood  without  the  ap- 
proval of  the  church  Session.  At  the  same  time 
no  denominational  restriction  is  placed  upon  the 
individual  membership  of  the  local  organization. 
The  door  is  also  left  open  to  receive  into 
our  membership  local  organizations  in  other 
churches  of  our  faith  and  order  which  may 
voluntarily  seek  affiliation  with  us;  but  no 
authority  is  given  to  our  own  societies  to  put 
themselves  under  any  species  of  outside  control, 
so  that  from  our  side  the  vexed  question  of 
interdenominationalism  cannot  arise. 

The  inner  spirit  of  the  Brotherhood  may  be 
found  in  Article  II,  which  sets  forth  the  object 
of  the  organization.  It  is  believed  that  no  one 
can  thoughtfully  study  that  article  without  be- 
ing impressed  at  once  by  the  breadth  of  the 
definition  and  its  unfaltering  loyalty  to  the  spirit 
of  Jesus  Christ.  The  emphasis  of  position  is 
upon  soul-winning,  with  which  the  list  begins, 
and  the  extension  of  the  kingdom,  with  which  it 
closes.  Between  these  lie  spiritual  development, 
prayer,  Bible  study,  Christian  service  and  fellow- 


340  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

ship.  In  action  the  order  must  be  governed  by 
varying  circumstances  and  local  conditions ;  but 
all  forms  of  activity  which  fall  within  the  defined 
limits  are  included.  The  Men's  Bible  Class  ap- 
pears to  be  the  best  starting  point  in  probably 
a  majority  of  cases.  Many  societies  will  offer 
themselves  for  general  assistance  to  the  pastor ; 
others  will  seek  the  development  of  the  evening 
preaching  service  and  the  weekly  prayer  meet- 
ing ;  some  may  find  it  possible  to  engage  in  the 
promotion  of  civic  righteousness  without  going 
unduly  into  politics.  Lines  of  large  usefulness 
lead  to  the  reading  room,  the  boarding  house 
and  the  development  of  sociability  along  clean 
and  Christian  lines.  The  work  of  the  Council 
is  to  gather  up  and  pass  along  the  experiences 
and  suggestions  that  are  worked  out  in  the  local 
societies.  Their  successes  and  failures,  their 
problems  and  discouragements  and  happy  solu- 
tions will  all  have  a  multiplied  value  when  com- 
pared and  digested  by  a  central  agency  and 
transmitted  to  the  places  where  they  are  spe- 
cially needed. 

The  following  officers  were  elected:  Presi- 
dent, Hugh  H.  Hanna ;  Vice  President,  Charles 
S.  Holt ;  Secretary,  William  R.  Farrand ;  Treas- 
urer, Charles  T.  Thompson.  The  president 
afterward  appointed  standing  committees  on 
Work  of  the  Brotherhood,  on  Conventions,  and 
on  Finance,  and  the  respective  chairmen  of 
these  committees.  President  C.  W.  Dabney, 
James   D.   Husted   and   Frederick  A.   Wallis, 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  341 

thereby  became  members  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee. 

The  Indianapolis  convention  by  resolution 
expressed  the  conviction  ^'that  for  the  earlier 
period  of  the  movement  no  salaries  should  be 
paid,  at  least  for  the  first  year,  except  for  such 
clerical  work  as  may  be  necessary  in  a  central 
office  of  correspondence  and  information." 
Realizing  the  value  of  volunteer  service,  the 
Council  nevertheless  felt  that  no  one  of  its  mem- 
bers was  in  a  position  to  carry  on  the  executive 
work  of  the  Brotherhood  in  connection  with  his 
other  occupations ;  yet  desiring  to  carry  out  the 
spirit  of  the  resolution  they  found  it  possible, 
through  the  generous  courtesy  of  the  Board  of 
Home  Missions,  to  secure  the  services  of  Mr. 
Von  Ogden  Vogt  for  a  considerable  part  of  his 
time  in  the  capacity  of  corresponding  secretary. 
Mr.  Vogt  entered  upon  his  duties  about  Febru- 
ary 1st,  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  over- 
state the  value  of  his  devoted  and  intelligent 
service  rendered  in  the  midst  of  great  pressure 
of  other  duties. 

Not  less  important  has  been  the  volunteer 
service  unselfishly  rendered  by  Dr.  Ira  Landrith 
during  the  two  months  preceding  the  conven- 
tion in  the  capacity  of  convention  secretary. 
The  large  plans  and  the  minute  details  have 
alike  received  his  wise  and  indispensable  care. 

The  Council  acknowledges  with  deep  grati- 
tude its  obligation  to  Mr.  Vogt  and  Dr.  Landrith 
and  to  the  Board  of  Home  Missions,  and  recog- 


342  THE    PEESBYTERIAiSr    BROTHERHOOD 

nizes  the  divine  favor  in  the  Providence  which 
made  it  possible  to  secure  such  help  in  time  of 
need. 

It  is  the  nnanimons  opinion  of  the  Council 
that  the  welfare  of  the  Brotherhood  now  re- 
quires the  full  time  and  strength  of  the  best 
available  man  as  general  secretary.  It  is  hoped 
that  it  may  be  possible  soon  to  announce  such 
an  appointment. 

The  year  has  been  one  of  study  and  prepara- 
tion rather  than  of  large  actual  accomplishment. 
The  problems  presented  were  new  and  it  seemed 
important  to  deal  with  them  wisely,  even  with 
some  delay,  rather  than  to  risk  serious  mistakes 
in  seeking  for  imniediately  visible  results.  It 
was  early  determined  that  the  second  conven- 
tion should  be  planned  with  reference  to  full 
and  free  discussion  of  these  problems  and  com- 
parison of  experiences;  and  it  is  believed  that 
the  convention  will  furnish  most  valuable  ma- 
terial for  use  in  further  prosecution  of  the  work. 

Yet  some  very  gratifying  results  have  been  ac- 
complished. A  large  amount  of  information  and 
material  has  been  gathered  and  made  available 
for  future  study  and  use.  Brotherhood  litera- 
ture has  been  extensively  circulated,  including 
copies  of  the  constitution,  leaflets  with  suggested 
constitutions,  hints  about  purposes  and  methods 
of  organization,  circulars  to  pastors  and  stated 
clerks  of  Presbyteries,  a  personal  letter  signed 
by  the  president  with  an  appeal  for  coopera- 
tion sent  to  every  pastor  in  the  church,  and  cir- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  34o 

culars  of  news  notes  sent  to  the  church  papers ; 
together  with  a  large  quantity  of  individual 
correspondence. 

The  number  of  societies  enrolled  is  growing 
from  day  to  day.  At  the  latest  report  it  is  455, 
with  a  membership  of  25,017.  The  Synod  of 
Pennsylvania  leads  with  84  societies,  and  5,583 
members.  Illinois  is  next,  with  63  and  3,933, 
followed  by  New  York,  52  and  3,621 ;  Ohio,  44 
and  2,822;  New  Jersey,  37  and  2,033;  and 
others  in  varying  proportions,  several  Synods 
having  one  each.  The  average  membershix)  in 
the  societies  in  the  larger  Synods  ranges  from 
55  to  70;  the  single  society  in  the  Synod  of 
Washington  has  200  members. 

In  addition  to  these,  212  societies  have  been 
reported  which  have  not  applied  for  affiliation 
with  the  Brotherhood. 

Enrollment  has  doubtless  been  hindered  in 
many  cases  by  imperfect  understanding  as  to 
the  policy  of  the  movement,  and  especially  by 
the  unfounded  apprehension  that  affiliation  with 
the  National  Brotherhood  would  involve  change 
in  the  name,  features  or  methods  of  local  so- 
cieties. These  difficulties  have  been  gradually 
met  and  can  be  very  largely  removed  with  the 
cooperation  of  pastors  and  of  Presbyterial 
committees. 

The  lines  of  activity  reported  are  many  and 
various.  Almost  half  of  the  enrolled  societies 
have  Bible  classes  as  one  of  the  features.  A  large 
number   of   societies   center   chiefly   around   a 


344  THE   PKESBYTEKIAN   BEOTHERHOOD 

montlily  meeting,  partly  social  and  partly  occu- 
pied with  a  special  address.  Only  a  few  have 
classes  for  the  study  of  missions  or  civic  prob- 
lems. A  still  smaller  number  appear  to  have 
adopted  as  one  of  their  definite  objects,  prayer 
and  the  cultivation  of  the  devotional  spirit, 
which  is  beyond  doubt  the  most  indispensable  of 
all,  and  the  one  without  which  success  in  any 
other  direction  is  not  to  be  expected. 

It  is  important  for  our  societies  to  realize  that 
all  methods  of  work  are  still  to  a  large  extent 
experimental,  and  to  be  prepared  to  modify  and 
change  them  as  experience  may  suggest,  being 
careful  only  to  preserve,  amid  all  the  diversities 
of  operation,  the  same  spirit — the  Spirit  of  God 
and  of  our  Brother,  Jesus  Christ. 

The  wisest  plan  for  the  finances  of  the  Broth- 
erhood has  not  yet  been  determined,  but  will  be 
one  of  the  first  questions  to  be  taken  up  by  the 
Council  after  the  convention.  All  expenses  thus 
far  have  been  met  by  voluntary  contributions 
from  a  small  number  of  persons,  supplementing 
a  balance  of  about  $1,100  turned  over  to  the 
Council  by  the  treasurer  of  the  Assembly's  Com- 
mittee. 

After  considering  many  suggestions  the  Coun- 
cil has  adopted  as  the  Brotherhood  emblem  a 
small  button  bearing  a  white  cross  placed  diag- 
onally on  a  plain  blue  ground,  being  one  of  the 
historical  forms  of  the  cross  of  St.  Andrew. 
This  decision  was  reached  with  the  cordial  ap- 
proval of  the  authorities  of  the  Men's  Brother- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  345 

hood  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
its  adoption  by  that  organization  will  establish 
it  as  an  emblem  common  to  the  two  armies  of 
men  enlisted  in  the  Master 's  service. 

It  is  a  source  of  deepest  regret  that  impaired 
health  has  disabled  Honorable  Hugh  H.  Hanna, 
the  president  of  the  Council,  from  active  serv- 
ice during  a  large  part  of  the  year.  His  enthu- 
siastic interest  in  the  work  of  the  Brotherhood, 
especially  on  its  spiritual  and  devotional  side, 
his  thought  and  labor  in  its  behalf  up  to  the  full 
limit  of  physical  strength,  and  his  generous  ma- 
terial assistance,  entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of 
every  member  of  the  Brotherhood.  It  is  ear- 
nestly hoped  that  his  expected  presence  at  the 
convention  is  an  augury  of  new  health  and  vigor 
for  the  future  work  of  the  Council. 

The  members  of  the  Council  having  been 
classified  in  accordance  with  the  constitution, 
the  terms  of  the  following  expire  with  this  con- 
vention: Charles  T.  Thompson,  John  H.  Con- 
verse, E.  H.  Perkins,  W.  E.  Settle,  E.  M.  Treat, 
James  D.  Husted,  and  John  L.  Severance. 

Additional  vacancies  exist  through  the  resig- 
nation of  Franklin  W.  Ganse,  owing  to  his  trans- 
fer of  membership  to  the  Congregational 
Church;  of  President  A.  E.  Turner  by  reason 
of  removal  to  another  part  of  the  country,  and 
of  Joseph  T.  Ailing  and  W.  M.  Ladd  for  business 
or  personal  reasons. 

The  experience  of  the  year  has  brought  to  the 
members  of  the  Council  an  overpowering  sense 


34:6  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

of  opportunity  and  responsibility.  The  readi- 
ness, and  even  eagerness,  of  Christian  men  for 
active  service  in  connection  with  the  church  has 
not  been  equaled  for  at  least  a  generation.  It 
has  been  demonstrated  that  the  enthusiasm 
shown  at  Indianapolis  was  not  artificial  or  tran- 
sient, but  had  its  roots  in  a  deep  and  earnest 
purpose  which  has  been  widening  throughout  the 
ensuing  year.  Other  denominations  have  been 
stirred  by  the  same  purpose  and  are  following 
the  lead  which  it  has  been  our  privilege  to  set  for 
them.  To  develop  this  spirit  and  guide  it  in  the 
lines  of  the  largest  and  most  permanent  useful- 
ness is  a  responsibility  which  no  body  of  men 
would  dare  undertake  without  the  assurance, 
first  of  the  unfailing  leadership  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  then  of  hearty  cooperation  in  prayer 
and  service  from  the  great  host  of  Presbyterian 
men  who  count  it  their  highest  honor  to  be  work- 
ers together  with  God. 
By  order  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

Charles  S.  Holt,  Vice  President, 


XXIII 
THE  CONSTITUTION 

ABTICLE   I 

The  name  of  this  organization  shall  be  The 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of  America.  It 
shall  be  under  the  control  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  as  provided  for  in  the  Form 
of  Government  of  said  church. 

article  II 

The  object  of  the  organization  shall  be  to  pro- 
mote, assist  and  federate  all  forms  of  organized 
Christian  activity  of  men  in  the  churches,  which 
have  for  their  purpose  the  winning  of  men  to 
Christ  and  the  church,  the  promotion  of  spirit- 
ual development  and  the  training  in  usefulness 
of  men  connected  with  the  congregations  through 
prayer,  Bible  study  and  Christian  service,  the 
strengthening  of  fellowship,  and  the  extension 
of  Christ's  kingdom  at  home  and  abroad. 

ARTICLE  III 

(a)  Any  organization  of  men  connected  with 
a  church  in  America  holding  the  Reformed  faith 
may  become  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  by 

347 


348  THE    PKESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

making  written  application  for  membership  ac- 
companied by  a  certificate  from  the  Session  of 
the  church  with  which  it  is  connected  that  its 
purposes  are  in  harmony  with  Article  II.  The 
membership  of  any  organization  shall  be  termi- 
nated at  any  time  by  written  notice  thereof  to 
the  Council,  or  by  vote  of  the  Session  withdraw- 
ing its  approval;  or,  for  good  cause  shown,  by 
a  vote  of  the  Council  after  reasonable  notice  and 
opportunity  for  hearing.  Organizations  com- 
posed of  members  from  more  than  one  church, 
or  consisting  of  a  group  of  other  organizations, 
may  be  admitted  to  membership  by  special  vote 
of  the  Council,  and  upon  a  basis  to  be  determined 
by  it. 

(b)  The  basis  of  representation  at  conven- 
tions of  the  Brotherhood  shall  be  one  delegate 
for  each  organization  which  is  a  member  of  the 
Brotherhood,  irrespective  of  the  number  of  its 
individual  members ;  and  any  organization  hav- 
ing more  than  one  hundred  active  members  shall 
be  entitled  to  one  additional  delegate  for  each 
one  hundred  members  or  fraction  thereof  (not 
less  than  twenty-five)  in  excess  of  the  first  one 
hundred. 

(c)  The  individual  members  of  all  organiza- 
tions which  are  members  of  the  Brotherhood 
shall  be  entitled  to  wear  the  Brotherhood 
emblem. 

ARTICLE  IV 

(a)     The    government    of   the    Brotherhood 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  349 

shall  be  vested  in  a  Council  of  twenty-one  mem- 
bers, who  shall  be  members  of  some  organization 
belonging  to  the  Brotherhood,  of  whom  ten  shall 
constitute  a  quormn.  The  Council  chosen  by  the 
convention  of  1906  shall  divide  its  members  into 
three  classes  of  seven  each,  to  hold  office  respec- 
tively one,  two  and  three  years,  and  each  con- 
vention shall  elect  seven  members  for  a  term  of 
three  years.  Vacancies  occurring  between  con- 
ventions may  be  filled  by  the  Council  until  the 
next  convention.  If  the  conventions  shall  be  held 
at  longer  intervals  than  one  year,  the  terms  of 
office  of  the  Council  shall  be  correspondingly 
lengthened.  The  officers  of  the  Council  shall  be 
president,  vice  president,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. These  officers  shall  be  elected  by  ballot 
at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Council  after  each  con- 
vention. There  shall  also  be  an  executive  com- 
mittee consisting  of  the  officers  and  chairmen  of 
standing  committees.  A  majority  of  the  execu- 
tive committee  shall  constitute  a  quorum.  The 
executive  committee  shall  have  such  powers  and 
perform  such  duties  as  shall  be  delegated  to  it  by 
the  Council.  The  Council  shall  meet  at  the  call 
of  the  president  at  least  twice  a  year. 

(b)  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Council  in 
every  suitable  way  to  promote  the  objects  of  the 
Brotherhood  as  stated  in  Article  II;  to  aid  and 
encourage  the  holding  of  local  Presbyterial  and 
Synodical  conventions;  to  appoint  fraternal 
delegates  to  bodies  of  similar  scope  and  aim ;  and 
to  secure  by  voluntary  subscription  the  funds 


350  THE   PBESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

necessary  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the  Brother- 
hood. 

AllTICLE  V 

A  convention  shall  be  held  annually  at  a  time 
and  place  designated  by  the  Council,  unless 
otherwise  ordered  by  the  last  preceding  con- 
vention. The  Council  shall  have  charge  of  the 
arrangements  for  such  convention,  the  selection 
of  speakers  and  topics  for  discussion,  subject  to 
any  instructions  given  by  the  last  previous  con- 
vention, and  subject  to  the  control  of  the  conven- 
tion itself  when  organized. 

ARTICLE  VI 

This  Constitution  may  be  amended  by  a  two- 
thirds  vote  of  any  convention,  provided  such  pro- 
posed amendment  shall  have  been  submitted  to 
the  secretary  of  the  Council  in  writing  not  less 
than  thirty  days  before  the  meeting  of  the  con- 
vention. 

This  report  was  received  with  great  applause, 
and  Mr.  J.  J.  Parks,  of  St.  Louis,  moved  *Hhat 
this  report  be  adopted  as  read,  and  that  the 
thanks  of  the  convention  be  tendered  to  the 
Council  for  this  report  and  for  their  most  ex- 
cellent service  during  the  past  year.''    Carried. 


XXIV 
THE  NEXT  CONVENTION 

Mr.  Holt. — I  am  further  directed  by  the 
Council  to  offer  the  following  recommendation : 

^^  Resolved,  That  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Council  it  is  not  possible  at  this  time  to  determine 
the  wisest  arrangement  with  reference  to  the 
time  and  place  of  holding  the  next  national 
convention ;  and  that  we  recommend  to  the  con- 
vention that  the  decision  of  that  question  be  re- 
ferred to  the  Council  with  power  to  act. ' ' 

It  seems  that  next  November  may  be  a  most 
inopportune  time  for  the  holding  of  the  next 
convention.  Our  recommendation  is  that  the 
question  be  referred  back  to  the  Council  with 
power  to  act. 

Dr.  Bigger. — ^I  move  the  recommendation  of 
the  Council  be  adopted  by  this  convention. 
Carried. 

CONVENTION    COMMITTEES 

The  committees  were  announced  as  follows: 
Committee  on  Nominations. — Andrew  Steven- 
son, Chicago,  HI.,  chairman ;  Andrew  B.  Martin, 

351 


352  THE   PEESBYTEEIAN    BROTHEKHOOD 

LL.D.,  Lebanon,  Tenn.;  Rev.  R.  W.  Brokaw, 
D.D.,  Utica,  N.  Y. ;  AVilliam  C.  Lilley,  Pittsburg, 
Pa. ;  E.  N.  Crane,  Newark,  N.  J. ;  E.  W.  John- 
son, Corsicana,  Texas;  H.  R.  Cobb,  Red  Wing, 
Minn. ;  A.  E.  Mullikin,  Baltimore,  Md. ;  Rev.  S. 
C.  Dickey,  D.D.,  Indianapolis,  Ind. ;  S.  P.  Shat- 
tuck,  Neenali,  Wis.;  Cornelins  Collins,  Hebron, 
Neb.;  Prof.  W.  W.  Boyd,  Columbus,  Ohio; 
Thomas  Sloss,  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa ;  W.  T. 
Baird,  Kirksville,  Mo.;  F.  E.  McClure,  M.D., 
Detroit,  Mich. 

Committee  on  Resolutions. — J.  J.  Parks,  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  chairman;  Paul  C.  Martin,  Spring- 
field, Ohio;  Rev.  J.  S.  Lyons,  D.D.,  Louisville, 
Ky. ;  H.  Knox  Taylor,  St.  Paul,  Minn. ;  Robert 
Appleton,  Passaic,  N.  J. ;  J.  M.  Cowan,  Decatur, 
111. ;  E.  A.  Rogers,  Lockport,  N.  Y. ;  Charles  G. 
Dean,  Memphis,  Tenn.;  Alex.  Hardcastle,  Jr., 
Baltimore,  Md. ;  Fred  L.  Burgan,  Coeur  d'Alene, 
Idaho;  Rev.  L.  J.  Coats,  Fort  Smith,  Ark.;  R. 
A.  Kope,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  W.  W.  Crissinger, 
Austin,  111. ;  Rev.  E.  B.  Newcomb,  D.D.,  Keokuk, 
Iowa ;  R.  D.  Dripps,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Committee  on  Correspondence. — Rev.  M.  L. 
Haines,  D.D.,  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  chairman;  E. 
H.  Dutcher,  East  Orange,  N.  J. ;  Elmer  0.  Flip- 
pin,  Ithaca,  N.  Y. ;  Harry  N.  Clark,  Columbus, 
0.;  J.  D.  Diffenbaugh,  Monmouth,  111.;  Harry 
Converse,  Louisville,  Ky. ;  Burdette  L.  Hostet- 
ler,  Erie,  Pa. 


XXV 

WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON 

FINANCIAL  SESSION 

Mr.  Holt. — Now  we  come  to  an  order  not 
mentioned  on  the  program,  but  which  is  of  in- 
terest to  the  Council,  and,  we  hope,  to  every 
member  of  the  Brotherhood — ^the  financial  prob- 
lem. By  the  direction  of  the  Council,  this  will 
be  presented  by  the  treasurer  of  the  Brother- 
hood, who  has  also  consented  in  a  great  emer- 
gency to  serve  as  chairman  of  the  Finance  Com- 
mittee, Mr.  Charles  T.  Thompson,  of  Minne- 
apolis. 

Mr.  Thompson. — If  there  is  one  subject  I 
would  not  rather  speak  upon  than  this,  I  do  not 
know  what  it  is.  I  have  always  kept  out  of 
financial  work  until  the  organization  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Brotherhood,  and  ever  since  I  have 
been  in  it  over  my  head.  Now,  I  want  to  make 
a  business  statement,  in  a  businesslike  way,  to 
these  men,  and  make  it  as  briefly  as  possible.  In 
the  first  place,  we  started  this  movement  without 
a  dollar  in  the  treasury;  but  through  the  ef- 
forts of  the  Finance  Committee  and  the  General 
Assembly  we  raised  enough  to  provide  for  the 

353 


354  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

expenses  of  that  committee  by  personal  solicita- 
tion, and  the  Council  received  from  that  com- 
mittee a  balance  of  $1,100.  That  was  a  year  ago. 
Since  that  time  the  expenses  have  been  $3,700, 
every  dollar  of  which  was  contributed  person- 
ally by  the  members  of  the  Council,  the  largest 
subscription  being  that  of  the  honored  president. 
Now  we  have  to  face  this  proposition :  As  you 
have  learned  from  the  report  of  the  Council,  up 
to  this  time  we  have  had  no  expense  for  the 
general  secretary,  and  the  services  of  Mr.  Von 
Ogden  Vogt  as  corresponding  secretary  have 
been  donated  to  us  by  the  Home  Missions  Board. 
Dr.  Landrith  has  given  his  services  entirely 
without  expense  to  the  committee.  In  order  to 
provide  for  the  next  two  years — for  we  feel  that 
we  should  provide  for  two  years,  inasmuch  as 
there  is  some  uncertainty  as  to  whether  it  will 
be  possible  to  have  a  convention  one  year  from 
now — we  have  carefully  prepared  a  budget, 
covering  also  the  salary  of  the  general  secre- 
tary, which  in  its  entirety  amounts  to  $24,000, 
or  $12,000  per  year.  Of  that  amount  members 
of  the  Council  have  already  subscribed  $12,500, 
to  be  paid  within  two  years.  This  leaves  a  bal- 
ance which  we  desire  to  have  subscribed,  in  order 
to  put  us  on  a  firm  basis  for  the  next  two  years, 
of  $11,500.  We  think  it  will  appeal  to  you  as  a 
fair  proposition  that  the  members  of  the  Council 
have  done  about  all  they  ought  to  be  expected  to 
do  along  this  line,  and  that  you  ought  to  assist  us, 
through  your  home  churches,   in  raising  this 


CmCINNATI    CONVENTION  355 

balance,  which  we  would  be  glad  to  see  raised 
as  soon  as  possible. 

We  have  prepared  subscription  blanks  which 
read  as  follows: 

*'I  hereby  agree  to  pay  myself,  or  to  raise, 
for  the  expenses  of  the  General  Council  of  the 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood,  during  the  two  years 
beginning    November    12,    1907,    the    sum    of 

dollars,  said  sum  to  be  paid  to  the 

treasurer  of  the  Council,  one  half  each  year,  as 
follows:'' 

Then  follow  the  signature  and  address. 
These  blanks  will  be  passed  through  the  audi- 
ence by  the  ushers.  The  bottom  part  of  these 
blanks  you  can  take  home  to  show  to  your 
Brotherhood  the  subscription  you  have  made. 
We  will  be  very  glad  to  have  cash,  but  what  we 
especially  desire  is  to  know  that  this  movement 
has  been  put,  for  the  next  two  years,  on  a  firm 
financial  basis,  and  during  the  two  years  we  hope 
to  devise — with  your  consent,  and  we  hope  the 
Committee  on  Eesolutions  may  have  something 
to  say  about  it — some  plan  by  which  the  expense 
of  conducting  the  Brotherhood  may  be  provided 
for  in  some  other  manner;  because,  God  forbid 
that  this  movement  should  ever  take  such  form 
that  a  man  must  be  a  man  of  wealth  in  order  to 
find  a  place  upon  the  Brotherhood  Council. 

I  understand  just  as  well  as  you  do  the  present 
financial  stringency  in  this  country.  I  under- 
stand the  embarrassment  under  which  you  are 
laboring.    I  understand  the  great  demands  made 


356  THE    PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

Upon  you  in  every  direction.  But  I  think  the 
Council  is  fully  justified  in  laying  this  matter 
before  you,  upon  your  hearts  and  consciences, 
asking  you  now  to  do  your  duty  in  carrying  on 
this  financial  part  of  the  work  for  the  next  two 
years. 

Mr.  Peterson,  of  Chicago. — For  the  Young 
Men's  Presbyterian  Union  of  Chicago,  I  will 
pledge  $500. 

Mr.  Parks,  of  St.  Louis. — St.  Louis  is  not  quite 
as  large  as  Chicago,  but  we  are  getting  there, 
and  we  will  give  $500  toward  this  expense. 

Mr.  Holt. — ^I  hope  it  is  known  to  most  of  you 
that  the  St.  Louis  Brotherhood  gave  a  most  cor- 
dial invitation  to  us  to  hold  the  convention  there 
this  year,  and  had  it  not  been  that  the  only 
available  hall  was  engaged  for  one  of  the  con- 
vention dates,  there  would  probably  have 
been  serious  competition  between  Cincinnati 
and  St.  Louis  for  the  privilege  which  we  now 
enjoy. 

A  Delegate. — May  we  have  a  few  items  of 
this  expense? 

Mr.  Thompson. — The  advertising  bill,  the 
printing,  and  so  on,  for  last  year  has  amounted 
to  $2,500,  and  we  expect  there  will  be  a  larger 
item  than  that  this  year.    We  will  have  a  gen- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  357 

eral  office  this  year,  and  there  will  be  the  item 
of  office  rent  and  office  and  traveling  expense. 

A  Delegate,  from  Los  Angeles. — Los  Angeles 
is  not  as  large  as  either  Chicago  or  St.  Louis,  but 
we  will  give  $500. 

Mk.  Holt. — I  have  stopped  my  watch ;  the  next 
order  of  business  will  not  come  on  as  long  as 
these  five-hundred-dollar  subscriptions  are  com- 
ing in. 

Numerous  other  subscriptions  were  quickly 
made. 

Mk.  Thompson. — ^I  have  to  report  that  you 
gave  me,  in  cash  and  pledges,  this  afternoon, 
$3,517.78.  I  want  to  say,  in  this  connection,  that 
I  told  the  president  of  the  local  organization 
that  we  did  not  expect  him  or  his  men  to  respond 
to  any  appeal  we  might  make.  They  have  raised 
$3,500  to  give  us  this  magnificent  entertainment, 
and  I  think  they  have  done  their  part  toward 
the  expense  of  the  Brotherhood  during  the 
period  which  we  are  trying  to  cover. 


XXVI 
THUESDAY  MORNING 


REPORT   OF   THE   COMMITTEE   ON   NOMINATIONS 

Mr.  Stevenson,  chairman  of  the  committee. 
— Your  committee  finds  it  their  duty  to  recom- 
mend to  you  seven  members  to  succeed  those 
whose  terms  expire  this  year.  According  to 
the  constitution,  the  terms  of  seven  members  of 
the  Council  expire  this  year,  seven  next  year, 
etc.,  making  it  necessary  to  elect  seven  each 
year.  Four  have  resigned,  for  good  rea- 
sons, therefore  there  are  eleven  members  to 
elect,  and  the  committee  recommends  the  follow-* 
ing  to  take  the  place  of  those  whose  terms  ex- 
pire this  year :  John  H.  Converse,  Philadelphia, 
Pa. ;  James  D.  Husted,  Denver,  Col. ;  Charles  T. 
Thompson,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  John  L. 
Severance,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  succeed  them- 
selves, and  A.  C.  Stewart,  St.  Louis,  Mo.; 
Judge  Wm.  M.  Lanning,  Trenton,  N.  J.,  and 
Douglas  M.  Wylie,  Baltimore,  Md. 

For  membership  on  the  Council  to  fill  vacan- 
cies occasioned  by  the  resignation  of  Messrs. 
Ganse,  of  Boston ;  Ailing,  of  Rochester ;  Ladd,  of 

358 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  359 

Portland,  Ore.,  and  Turner,  of  Waxahachie, 
Texas:  G.  E.  Stone,  Tacoma,  Wash.;  Edward 
D.  Ibbotson,  Utica,  N.  Y.;  J.  W.  Axtell, 
Nashville,  Tenn. ;  E.  W.  Johnson,  Corsicana, 
Texas. 
The  report  was  adopted  by  unanimous  vote. 

Dr.  Haines,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Correspondence. — This  committee  has  the  fol- 
lowing to  otf er :  First,  a  letter  from  the  Broth- 
erhood of  St.  Andrew,  of  Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati,  Ohio,  November  11,  1907. 
To  The  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of  America, 

Greeting  : — 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Cincinnati  Local 
Assembly  of  the  Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew,  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  the  following  resolution 
was  unanimously  adopted:  '^Resolved,  That 
this  Assembly  extends  to  the  national  convention 
of  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of  America  its 
fraternal  greetings  and  expresses  its  sincere 
brotherly  interest  in  the  work  in  which  it  is  en- 
gaged, and  trusts  that  your  convention  may  be 
successful  and  productive  of  great  good  and  that 
you  may  be  thereby  inspired  to  still  more  active 
work  in  the  spread  of  Christ's  kingdom  among 


men. ' ' 


Cincinnati  Local  Assembly  of  The 
Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew. 

John  H.  Martin, 
Secretary  pro  tern. 


360  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

The  committee  has  prepared  the  following  in 
response,  which  they  now  present  to  yon : 

Music  Hall,  Cincinnati,  November  13,  1907. 

To  THE  Cincinnati  Local  Assembly  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church  : — 

Resolvedy  That  the  men  of  the  Presbyterian 
Brotherhood  of  America,  assembled  in  second 
annual  convention,  receives  with  keen  apprecia- 
tion the  fraternal  greetings  and  brotherly  inter- 
est of  its  co-workers,  the  Cincinnati  Local  As- 
sembly of  the  Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew  of  the 
Episcopal  Chnrch. 

The  spiritual  insight  and  eif  ectiveness  which 
we  are  gaining  sends  us  forth  anew  to  the  great 
work  of  uplifting  men  in  which  you  are  also  en- 
gaged, and  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of 
America  conveys  to  you  its  cordial  greetings  and 
thanks. 

It  was  decided  to  send  a  telegram  of  thanks  to 
Hon.  John  "W.  Foster,  and  the  committee  has 
sent  this  telegram : — 

Hon.  John  W.  Foster, 

Washington,  D.  C. 
The   Presbyterian  Brotherhood  thanks  you 
for    your    valuable    paper,    and    assures    you 
of  its  sympathies  and  prayers  for  speedy  re- 
covery. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  361 

We  have  also  received  a  message  from  our 
** grand  old  man,'*  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  and 
in  response  have  sent  the  following  telegram : 

Eev.  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler, 

176  South  Oxford  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
The  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  rejoices  to  re- 
ceive your  greetings,  and  assures  you  of  love 
and  prayers. 

The  report  was  adopted. 

Mr.  Holt. — In  addition  I  think  I  should  read 
this  interesting  communication,  which  came  last 
night : 

Mingo  Junction,  Ohio,  November  13, 1907. 
Dear  Brethren  : 

We,  as  foreign-speaking  men,  wish  you  a  suc- 
cessful convention.    We  remain, 

Slavonic  Presbyterian  Men's  Society. 

To  this  the  following  reply  has  been  sent  by 
telegraph : — 

November  14,  1907. 
The  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  receives  with 
gladness  your  message,  and  sends  you  greetings 
and  best  wishes. 

I  will  also  read  a  telegram  from  Grinnell, 
Iowa. 


362  THE   PKESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

Eev.  Frank  Dyer  lias  been  appointed  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  National  Council  of  the  Con- 
vention on  Congregational  Brotherhood  to  the 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood,  to  carry  greetings 
and  get  wisdom  for  onr  work. 

J.  H.  T.  Main. 

Mr.  Dyer  was  here  last  night,  but  has  been 
called  home. 

The  following  letter  was  later  sent  Mr.  Dyer 
by  the  Committee  on  Correspondence: 

Music  Hall,  Cincinnati,  November  15,  1907. 
Eev.  Frank  Dyer, 

Grinnell,  Iowa. 
My  Dear  Sir  : 

We  are  in  receipt  of  a  telegram  from  Mr.  J. 
H.  T.  Main,  saying  you  were  appointed  to  repre- 
sent the  National  Council  on  Congregational 
Brotherhood  at  the  convention  of  our  Presby- 
terian Brotherhood,  and  while  we  learn  that  you 
were  present  at  the  sessions  of  the  convention, 
the  officers  of  the  Brotherhood  did  not  have  the 
opportunity  they  desired  of  expressing  to  you 
their  pleasure  at  having  you  with  us  and  their 
appreciation  of  the  greeting  you  bring  from  the 
Congregational  Brotherhood.  It  therefore  be- 
comes my  pleasant  duty  to  convey  to  you  these 
sentiments. 

We  trust  your  visit  was  a  pleasant  and  in- 
structive one,  and  that  there  may  be  the  utmost 
cordiality  and  cooperation  between  the  two  or- 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  363 

ganizations  for  the  advancement  of  the  great 
common  cause  they  represent. 

BEPOET  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  BESOLUTIONS 

Mk.  J.  J.  Paeks,  of  St.  Louis,  Chairman. — 
Your  committee  begs  to  report  the  following : — 

Resolved  (1),  That  the  Presbyterian  Brother- 
hood of  America  extends  its  congratulations  to 
the  church  at  large,  and  recognizes  with  great 
thanksgiving  the  evident  leading  of  God  in 
bringing  to  Christian  men  of  our  own  and  other 
churches  a  fuller  recognition  of  the  high  claims 
of  citizenship,  and  a  closer  association  in  hearty 
service  in  behalf  of  better  standards  of  com- 
mercial integrity,  civic  righteousness  and  per- 
sonal purity.  Especially  do  we  recognize  and 
commend  their  activity  in  promoting  the  cause 
of  temperance,  and  in  securing  the  enactment 
and  enforcement  of  such  legislation  as  helps  to 
deliver  communities  from  governmental  corrup- 
tion and  misrule,  from  the  sorrow  and  shame  of 
broken  homes,  from  the  financial  loss  and  from 
the  spiritual  degradation  and  death  which  at- 
tend the  liquor  traffic.  The  men  of  our  church 
are  urged  to  use  their  power  of  prayer  and 
personal  service  in  aid  of  all  fit  agencies  for 
securing  a  continuance  and  enlargement  of 
their  efficiency  as  Christian  men,  through 
all  movements  which  make  for  commercial 
integrity,    for    civic    honesty,    for    home    and 


364  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

social  protection,  for  the  destruction  of  the 
liquor  traffic,  and  for  personal  purity  in  heart 
and  life. 

Resolved  (2),  The  Presbyterian  Brotherhood 
of  America  regrets  that  the  words  ^  ^  In  God  We 
Trust''  have  been  omitted  from  the  coins  of  the 
United  States,  and  earnestly  hopes  that  Congress 
will  take  prompt  action  to  restore  the  inscrip- 
tion. 

Resolved  (3),  That,  in  order  to  promote 
interest  in  our  movement,  and  to  keep  our  con- 
gregations thoroughly  posted  as  to  its  work  and 
plans,  we  designate  the  first  Sunday  of  Decem- 
ber in  each  year  ** Brotherhood  Day,"  said  day 
to  be  observed  as  each  local  organization,  its 
pastor,  and  Session  may  deem  proper. 

Resolved  (4),  That  in  order  to  assist  in  the 
support  of  the  general  secretary 's  office,  and  for 
the  promotion  of  the  general  work  of  the  Broth- 
erhood, an  annual  free-will  offering  be  re- 
quested from  each  local  men's  organization 
federated  with  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of 
America. 

Resolved  (5),  That  we  approve  of  the  card 
system  of  identification  of  members  of  the  Broth- 
erhood, and  recommend  that  the  Executive 
Council  prepare  and  furnish  to  all  Brotherhoods 
who  may  desire  them,  a  uniform  identification 
card. 

Resolved  (6),  That  whenever  a  member  of  the 
Brotherhood  moves  from  one  locality  to  another, 
the  Brotherhood  from  which  such  member  re- 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  365 

moves  be  requested  to  notify  the  Brotherhood, 
if  any  exists,  and  if  not,  then  the  pastor  of  the 
church,  in  the  locality  to  which  such  member  may 
have  removed. 

Resolved  (7),  That  a  communication  from 
Mrs.  Wallace  Radcliffe  and  others,  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  asking  that  steps  be  taken  for  the 
organization  of  Junior  Brotherhoods,  be  re- 
ferred to  the  national  council  for  its  considera- 
tion. 

Resolved  (8),  That  we  recommend  that  one  of 
the  applied  energies  of  the  Brotherhood  be  di- 
rected to  the  establishment  of  Bible  institutes, 
these  institutes  to  be  located  throughout  the 
United  States  wherever  in  the  judgment  of  the 
local  Brotherhoods  they  can  be  maintained,  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  the  people  of  each  com- 
munity an  opportunity  to  secure  a  better  and 
more  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  laws  of 
God,  as  revealed  in  his  Holy  Word.  That  the 
ministry  of  the  country  be  enlisted  to  assist  in 
establishing  and  forwarding  this  movement  by 
giving  their  talented  help  in  lecture  series  and 
expositions,  and  that  the  Brotherhoods  seek  en- 
dowments to  establish  these  institutes,  thereby 
encouraging  the  study  of  the  Bible  by  the  adults 
of  our  churches. 

Resolved  (9),  That  each  affiliated  organization 
be  advised  to  take  steps  to  secure  a  prayer 
union,  beginning  with  three  or  more  conse- 
crated, earnest  men  in  each  church,  who  shall 
pledge  themselves  to  meet  privately  every  Sun- 


366  THE   PRESBYTEKIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

day  moruing  for  ten  minutes  to  pray  that  the 
pastor 's  sermons  of  that  day  be  a  message  from 
the  Master,  and  that  the  people  assembled  shall 
receive  the  message  with  prayerful  hearts. 
Each  member  of  the  prayer  union  should  also, 
within  the  week,  pray  for  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
mid-week  prayer  meeting.  The  invitation  for 
additional  members  should  pass  from  man  to 
man,  rather  than  by  public  announcement  in  the 
churches.  The  effort  to  secure  prayer  unions 
should  be  pressed  unceasingly  by  our  general 
secretary. 

Resolved  (10),  We  feel  that  the  cause  of  the 
Brotherhood,  which  is  the  cause  of  the  Master, 
owes  much  to  the  tireless  and  ceaseless  toil  and 
devotion  of  these  strong,  consecrated  men  of  this 
Council;  that  not  only  the  success  of  this  con- 
vention, in  a  large  degree,  is  due  to  their  efficient 
service,  but  that  whatever  may  be  accomplished 
in  the  future  should  be  put  down  to  their  credit. 
We  desire,  therefore,  on  behalf  of  the  constitu- 
ents of  this  Brotherhood  convention,  to  express 
in  our  most  earnest  manner  our  thanks  to  the 
men  of  this  Council  for  what  they  have  done  to 
make  success  possible.  We  would  further  ex- 
press our  hearty  appreciation  of  the  splendid 
choice  made  by  the  Council  in  securing  the  serv- 
ices of  Dr.  Ira  Landrith  as  secretary  of  this 
organization. 

Resolved  (11),  That  we  send  fraternal  greet- 
ings from  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of 
America,  now  assembled  in  annual  convention 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  367 

in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  the  international  conven- 
tion of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
which  will  meet  in  Washington,  D.  C,  Novem- 
ber 22-26,  ^'for  we  are  laborers  together  with 
God.'' 

Resolved  (12),  That  this  convention,  now  in 
session,  express  to  the  members  of  the  local  com- 
mittee its  most  hearty  thanks  for  the  royal  man- 
ner in  which  we  have  been  received  and  enter- 
tained during  our  stay  in  this  Queen  City.  We 
believe  that  every  member  of  this  great  body  will 
return  to  his  home  feeling  that  the  entertainment 
of  the  convention  could  not  have  been  better 
done,  and  we  will  ever  cherish  a  very  cordial 
feeling  for  the  warm-hearted,  whole-souled  men 
of  the  Brotherhood  of  Cincinnati. 

Resolved  (13),  That  the  thanks  of  the  members 
of  this  convention  be  hereby  expressed  to  the 
local  press  for  the  elaborate  way  in  which  they 
have  reported  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting. 

Resolved  (14),  That  the  Presbyterian  Broth- 
erhood hereby  expresses  grateful  recognition  of 
the  invitation  to  visit  Lane  Theological  Semi- 
nary. We  recall  that  there  have  been  many 
evidences  of  God's  favor  shown  to  this  ^* school 
of  the  prophets"  in  other  days,  by  enabling  the 
seminary  to  send  forth  from  her  walls  men  who 
were  trained  for  noble  service  in  the  ministry. 
We  pray  that  still  richer  blessings  may  descend 
upon  Lane  Seminary  in  the  future,  by  enabling 
her  to  train  men  for  the  ministry  in  our  beloved 
church  who  shall,  in  larger  degree  than  ever 


368  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BROTHERHOOD 

before,  lead  men  to  that  liigher  type  of  Christian 
life  and  service  which  has  been  suggested  by  so 
many  speakers  addressing  this  convention. 
The  report  was  adopted. 

Mr.  Holt. — ^We  must  express  onr  hearty  ap- 
preciation of  the  splendid  service  rendered  by 
this  Eesolution  Committee.  Thirteen  out  of 
fifteen  are  present,  and  I  want  you  to  hold  up 
your  hands  in  appreciation  of  the  way  in  which 
they  have  brought  their  business  before  us. 

Here  followed  the  announcement  that  the 
headquarters  of  the  Brotherhood  from  this  time 
on  would  be  in  Chicago ;  street  number,  etc.,  to 
be  announced  later. 


XXVII 
THURSDAY  AFTERNOON 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  COUNCIL 

Dr.  Dabney. — I  am  instructed  by  the  Council 
to  announce  the  officers  named  for  the  coming- 
year,  but  I  first  want  to  say  a  word  on  my  own 
responsibility.  I  believe  that  no  event  of  this 
convention  has  caused  so  much  delight  as  the 
presence  here  to-day  upon  the  platform  of  our 
beloved  president,  Mr.  Hanna.  We  knew  how 
ill  he  had  been  at  times,  and  he  had  written  us 
that  he  could  not  come,  so  his  arrival  we  felt 
to  be  a  gift  of  God.  He  has  told  us  since  he 
came  that  he  came  because  he  *' could  not  stay 
away, ' '  and  that,  too,  after  having  resolved  that 
he  could  not  leave  his  business.  You  appreciate 
his  presence;  but  you  cannot  know  how  deeply 
we  men  of  the  Council  have  appreciated  his 
presence,  his  word  of  counsel,  and  above  every- 
thing, his  prayers,  during  the  past  year.  It  has 
been  a  difficult  year,  and  while  Mr.  Hanna  has 
been  physically  able  to  have  very  little  to  do  with 
the  active  work  of  the  Council,  being  rather  a 
looker-on,  fostering  and  encouraging  anything 
that  was  done,  I  want  to  say  that  God  has  blessed 
us  greatly  in  giving  us  this  leader,  this  active 

369 


370  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

leader,  Mr.  Holt.  It  was  beautiful  to  see  these 
two  men  working  together,  the  one  praying  and 
working  in  a  quiet  way,  the  other  doing  the  ac- 
tive work,  but  both  working  like  brothers.  Now 
we  are  deeply  grateful  to  God  that  in  his  pur- 
pose he  has  shown  us  how  to  continue  this  beau- 
tiful relationship  between  these  two  men.  Mr. 
Hanna  says  it  will  be  impossible  for  him  to  con- 
tinue as  president  of  the  Council,  on  account  of 
pressure  of  business,  and  also  on  account  of  his 
health,  so  he  has  insisted  on  resigning.  Kealiz- 
ing  the  necessity  of  having  for  the  head  of  the 
Council  one  who  has  physical  strength  to  per- 
form its  important  duties,  and  at  the  same  time 
of  retaining  in  that  place  one  who  is  familiar 
with  the  work  of  the  Council,  one  who  is  deeply 
interested  in  that  work,  one  who  loves  our 
church  and  has  consecrated  his  energies  to  this 
work,  we  have  chosen  Mr.  Charles  S.  Holt  for 
president  of  the  Council  for  the  ensuing 
year. 

The  office  of  chairman  of  the  Council  has  been 
created,  and  the  occupant  of  that  chair  is  to 
be  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee. Mr.  Hugh  H.  Hanna  has  been  chosen 
to  fill  this  new  office  for  the  ensuing 
year. 

The  following  other  officers  have  also  been 
elected:  Vice  President,  John  L.  Severance, 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  Treasurer,  Chas.  T.  Thomp- 
son, Minneapolis,  Minn.  Secretary,  Wm.  R. 
Farrand,  Detroit,  Mich. 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION  371 

Mr.  Parks. — I  have  a  resolution  which  has  not 
been  prepared  by  the  committee.  It  came  into 
my  hands  since  we  handed  in  our  report,  and  it 
is  presented  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Roberts,  our 
Moderator.    It  is  as  follows : — 

EVANGELISTIC  WORK 

Resolved,  That  this  convention  refers  to  the 
Council  the  question  of  assigning  to  the  Presby- 
terian Brotherhood  the  conducting  in  particular 
churches  of  evangelistic  campaigns  to  further 
the  spiritual  work,  under  the  direction  of  pas- 
tors and  Sessions,  with  the  understanding  that 
if  the  Council  acts  affirmatively,  the  approval 
of  the  General  Assembly  will  be  requested. 

Dr.  Roberts. — I  wish  to  say  in  connection  with 
this  resolution  that  it  is  the  result  of  a  confer- 
ence between  myself  and  Mr.  John  H.  Converse, 
and  that  the  design  is  to  give  substantial  and 
definite  aim  to  the  work  of  this  great  Brother- 
hood. 

The  resolution  was  adopted. 


XXVIII 
THURSDAY  EVENING 

A  TELEGRAM  OF  SYMPATHY  TO  MONMOUTH  COLLEGE 

Mr.  Holt. — A  matter  of  business  has  come 
before  us  which  I  am  sure  it  will  be  your  pleas- 
ure to  take  care  of  at  this  time.  The  papers  an- 
nounce the  destruction  by  fire  of  the  principal 
buildings  of  Monmouth  College,  at  Monmouth, 
Illinois,  a  United  Presbyterian  institution, 
and  it  has  been  properly  suggested  that  this 
body  of  Presbyterian  men,  in  which  we  have 
a  delegate  from  Monmouth,  express  its  inter- 
est and  sympathy.  With  your  permission 
I  will  read  a  telegram  which  has  been  pre- 
pared to  send  to  the  president  of  Monmouth 
College. 

*^The  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  of  America 
regrets  your  great  loss,  and  assures  you  of  its 
interest  and  sympathy.'' 

It  was  voted  to  send  the  above  telegram. 

A  SECOND  FINANCIAL  SESSION 

Mr.  Holt. — Mr.  Thompson,  the  treasurer, 
who  gave  you  all  such  pleasure  yesterday,  has 
a  further  word  to  say. 

372 


CINCINNATI   CONVENTION  373 

Mr.  Thompson.^ — I  dislike  exceedingly  to 
bring  before  you  the  financial  question  again. 
The  only  speech  I  intend  to  make  can  be  put 
into  a  logical  syllogism  as  follows:  ^' Every 
movement  in  business,  in  society,  in  religion, 
that  is  worth  anything,  needs  financing.''  The 
Presbyterian  Brotherhood  is  worth  something 
— it  is  worth  much.  I  think  you  will  agree  to 
that.  Now  the  logical  result  is  that  the  Presby- 
terian Brotherhood  must  be  financed.  You  re- 
sponded nobly  yesterday,  but  we  want  to  appeal 
to  you  again.  Stating  it  clearly,  then,  before 
we  came  to  you  the  members  of  the  Council  had 
pledged  $12,500  of  the  $24,000  needed  to  cover 
the  expenses  of  the  Brotherhood  for  two  years. 
We  did  not  come  to  you  until  we  had  pledged  that 
amount  ourselves.  I  presented  this  matter  to 
you  yesterday,  and  you  responded  generously 
to  my  appeal  with  $3,718.00  more,  so  that  we 
have  now  in  sight,  in  pledges  and  cash,  chiefly 
in  pledges,  the  sum  of  $16,200,  and  it  is  for  me 
as  chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee  to  raise 
the  additional  amount.  I  ask  you  who  have 
not  helped  yet,  to  help  us  now.  I  do  not 
wish  to  lay  a  burden  on  any  member  here;  I 
do  not  wish  to  ask  those  who  have  pledged  to 
pledge  again,  I  merely  ask  those  who  have 
not  pledged  if  they  cannot  do  so  now.  The 
raising  of  this  sum  will  be  a  very  serious  task. 
If  you  cannot  pledge  now,  take  cards  home 
and  send  the  pledge  to  me  at  your  earliest 
convenience. 


374  THE   PRESBYTERIAN    BROTHERHOOD 

I  think  I  have  made  this  proposition  plain  to 
yon,  and  I  believe  you  will  stand  by  me  in  this 
thing  as  you  did  yesterday. 

Additional  subscriptions  were  then  collected. 

Mr.  Holt. — In  this  little  time  I  want  to  give 
you  the  results  of  some  very  interesting  compu- 
tations in  regard  to  the  attendance,  which  have 
just  been  handed  me  by  Professor  Mack.  I  do 
not  believe  you  can  guess  the  number  of  dele- 
gates in  attendance  at  this  convention,  and  the 
number  will  be  a  surprise,  I  know.  At  Indian- 
apolis we  had  a  little  over  1,200,  but  the  attend- 
ance here  is  1,468.  A  most  interesting  fact  is 
the  predominance  of  laymen.  Only  308  are 
ministers.  The  range  of  occupations  is  very 
interesting  and  significant. 

ANALYSIS    OF    THE    MEMBERS    OF    THE    CONVENTION 
BY    OCCUPATION 

Ministers 308       Bookkeepers   20 

Merchants 93       Editors    19 

Lawyers     77       Civil  Service 18 

Clerks    50  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Secretaries .  .  15 

Students    49       Secretaries    13 

Manufacturers   47      Contractors 12 

Insurance    36      Mechanics  '13 

Eailway  Men    35  Druggists  and  Chemists,  .  11 

Salesmen 35       Advertisers     H 

Physicians    28       College  Presidents    11 

Teachers    27       Stenographers    9 

Traveling  Salesmen    ....  24      Managers    9 

Farmers    23       Business  Men  8 

Bankers     22       Dentists 8 

Printers     21       Civil  Engineers   8 

Eeal  Estate   20      Publishers    8 


CINCINNATI    CONVENTION 


375 


Carpenters    8 

Collectors    9 

Agents     7 

Draughtsmen    7 

Painters    7 

Electrical   Engineers    ...  7 

Lumbermen    7 

Machinists 7 

Brokers   6 

Undertakers    4 

Finance  4 

Assistant  Pastors   3 

Book    Business    3 

Blacksmiths    3 

Charity  Workers   3 

Photographers    3 

Laundrymen  3 

Street  Kailway  Men    ...  2 

Inspectors 2 

Superintendents     2 


Eoofer  1 

Nurseryman    1 

Consulting   Engineer    ...  1 

Mine  Owner   1 

Paymaster 1 

General  Agent   1 

Hotel  Man  1 

Florist     1 

Optician    1 

Musician    1 

Patrolman     1 

Sexton  1 

Boot  and  Shoe  Man  ....  1 

Hardware  Man    1 


Total  names  registered   1432 

Number  from  outside 
Cincinnati  (approxi- 
mately)       900 


Princeton  Theoloqical  Semina 


Libraries 


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